


Reverie in Moonlight

by Rei (RoarOfTheEarth)



Series: Side Quests Unlocked [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Chapter 12 Smut, Cor is an asshole, Depression, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I don't know what I'm doing, M/M, More angst, Nyx has weird trust issues, Slow Burn, Soulmates, Survivor Guilt, fluff for fluffs sake
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-01-15 11:19:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 62,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18497896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoarOfTheEarth/pseuds/Rei
Summary: ”The world and the Six that resided above it, had a reallyfuckedup sense of humor. When humans came to be, the Astrals, in all their intellect, decided to take one soul and split it into two halves. These halves would be given a shape, man or woman, and sent off into the world.“They will find one another,” the Astrals proclaimed, because they werestupidand literally the biggest dickheads on Eos.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an idea I had _years_ ago, that I used kinda for the premise of a reader-insert based in Final Fantasy 7 world. It didn't have the whole 'soulmate' aspect to it because I wasn't even sure about it back then. One day I'll post it here, I guess. After it gets a re-write.

# Chapter 1

 _”The world and the Six that resided above it, had a really_ fucked _up sense of humor. When humans came to be, the Astrals, in all their intellect, decided to take one soul and split it into two halves. These halves would be given a shape, man or woman, and sent off into the world._

 _“They will find one another,” the Astrals proclaimed, because they were_ stupid _and literally the biggest dickheads on Eos._

_But they didn’t find each other. The two halves of one soul would wander aimlessly for years, sometimes walking right by each other and never knowing. The souls grew forlorn, lonely and depressed._

_“What if we give them a trait,” the Gods wondered. “A way to tell they have met the other half of their soul.”_

_And they did, by taking one simple thing from them._

Color.

_At the tender age of fifteen, boys and girls alike will slowly become colorblind. By the time they turn sixteen, only hints of color are visible. By nineteen, most can’t tell what color is what any longer._

_But, when two halves of the same soul meet, color is given back to them. A gift, for finally finding the other half of themselves._

_But humans can be stupid, and the Astrals noticed that not all of their tiny mortals below were looking for the other part of themself, or they were waiting for so long they were too old to really enjoy the gift._

_“Perhaps there should be a time limit,” the Astrals decided. And because they are assholes, they decided to make humans slowly go blind by the age of fifty.”_

“Nyx,” Libertus murmured with a long-suffering sigh. “Can we _not_ , with all the extra bits?”

Nyx leaned back in his chair, a gaggle of children strown about his feet in various sitting or laying positions, listening to the story. He seemed to consider Libertus’ request, then answered him with a crooked smile and a middle finger.

_”And so it was deemed humans must find the other half of their soul, or suffer the consequences for inaction. To live in a world without color or light.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, but chapter 2 is longer. I was using this as a way to set up the whole idea.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are probably 5,000 typos. I'll fix them after I sleep.

# Chapter 2

Nyx’s favorite color was blue. It was the color of the sky, of the ocean, of the pools of water in the salt mines. It was the color of his mother’s eyes, of the beads his sister had dangling in her hair. It was the color of the river he and Libertus played in as children. It was the color of freedom. The color he liked the most.

It had been the first color to go after he turned fifteen. He’d cried when he realized he couldn’t see the hue of his mother’s eyes, or the beads in Selena’s hair.

He’d cried and he’d cursed the Six for idiots.

By the time he’d turned nineteen he couldn’t remember what blue looked like, or why he’d liked it so much.

When Nyx and Libertus turned twenty, they decided to strike out on their own. Libertus had suggested Insomnia. Nyx had agreed readily. Selena had called them idiots without a lick of sense between them, but what did she know? Besides, she was only seventeen and had already found her ‘match’. She would never understand.

The night before they left, scared shitless and hungry for change, Nyx and Libertus had grabbed each other’s arm, skin to skin and stared hard at each other. It had ended in laughter despite the strange mixture of dread and hope that had settled in their guts.

“You would have made a shitty match anyway,” Lib had joked.

By twenty-five, they had managed to live from paycheck to paycheck enough to open their own business. Two Galahdian brats with a shitty plan and a few thousand Crowns between them. They bought the two-story brick house on the outskirts of town with a dream held firm in their minds.

Sturdy and spacious, the main floor was converted into an area with tables, stools and a bar, along with built-in shelving to house bottles and glasses. Upstairs was their living quarters. Three bedrooms and a shared bathroom, with one bedroom being made into an office for the business side of their home. The shared bathroom wasn’t much of a problem for Nyx since Lib was the one that preened the most anyway.

Downstairs in the basement was where Libertus worked his magic and made his special brew. Nyx stuck to the kitchen on the main floor.

They’d argued for a month on a name for the place.

The Silver Coeurl opened shortly after.

That had been nearly five years ago now. Nyx and Libertus had cooked and brewed their way into notability. These days they drew in a pretty decent crowd. Civilians and the two factions that made up the King’s very own royal guard; the Crownsguard and the Kingsglaive. Luckily it wasn’t all at once. The Crownsguard and Kingsglaive had a healthy rivalry that the entire city was aware of, though they seemed to have a truce when it came to the bar.

They split the days, like the bar was some odd child that they both had joint custody over. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were for the Kingsglaive, while Thursday, Friday and Saturday were for the Crownsguard. Libertus had taken advantage of this, taking notes of which drinks were favored by the guards and the running specials on them on their respective days.

Nyx did a similar thing with the food. Crownsguard were more inclined to quick foods. Sandwiches, burgers and similar fair. The Kingsglaive wanted meals. Ribs tended to be the favorite, and he was quietly tweaking his barbeque sauce into something so addictive it might just border on illegal.

Tonight, they were busy. Rowdy would likely be a better term. The squad of Kingsglaives that had swaggered in were still strung out from a mission. From what Nyx could overhear it seemed like troops from Niflheim had been caught crossing the border into Lucis. Technically they were in the middle of a ceasefire, so the Niffs were breaking that agreement.

“Better keep and eye on them,” Lib murmured, pointing out a group at one table.

“Maybe you need to hire an actual bouncer,” Nyx huffed, but eyed the group in question anyway.

There were four of them, three men and a woman, all probably around his age - closer to thirty than twenty anymore. Two of them were definitely Galahdian. The woman had her hair pulled back into a messy tail, but he caught the light glinting off a silver bead hanging amongst the mess. The other Galahdian was older and rather scruffy looking. His hair was dark, and matched the shadow of a beard that covered his chin.

The last two seemed to be Insomnian, lacking braids in their hair. One was a loud-mouthed, fair-haired fellow, the other seemed quieter, but Nyx got an odd feeling from him. Like he was looking for a reason to explode.

The loud-mouth - Tredd, he’d heard the female call him - leaned over the table and nudged the quierter of the group. When the man snarled something in return, Tredd frowned.

“Fuck off, Lazarus.”

Alright, he had two names.

The two Galahadian’s seemed to pull away then, excusing themselves and smoothly ditching their two comrades. 

Sighing and knowing he was going to be the one to break up _that_ looming fight later, Nyx started wiping down the bar, an excuse to keep and eye on those two. He got distracted though, as did everyone else when the door to the bar opened.

The guy that walked in wasn’t all that remarkable, Nyx thought. He had a stern face, a cold look in his eyes, and the walk of a military man. He didn’t seem all that special, but every Kingsglaive in the place immediately fell silent and just _stared_ at the guy. The only noise in the bar was the low din of the music from the radio behind him.

This new stranger didn’t seem to give a single flying fuck that he’d shut everyone up. He just made his way to the bar, oblivious to the stares and the silence. He sat with his back to the wall on the corner stool, his eyes roving the crowd before he turned that icy gaze on Nyx.

Right. Bartending.

“Uh. What can I get you?”

“Whiskey.”

There was a low murmur rolling through the bar now as Nyx fixed the man his drink. It was as he was handing it to him that he realized why. It was small, embossed into the fabric of his fatigues, but Nyx’s eyes zero’d in on it as he got closer.

Crownsguard.

The fucker was Crownsguard.

The man murmured a ‘thanks’ before going back to raking the room with his stare.

Nyx beat a quick retreat, dragging Libertus to the side with him. “We have a problem.”

“I’ll say,” his best friend huffed. “That guy practically killed the room. Never even seen him before.”

“He’s Crownguard, Lib,” Nyx hissed. “It’s fucking Wednesday.”

“... _Shit._ ”

They looked up as the door opened, a few of their patrons leaving either because they were calling it a night or because they couldn’t handle the oppressive tension that had settled in the air.

“Maybe he’ll keep to himself,” Libertus said hopefully. “He seems like the quiet type.”

“It’s not him I’m worried about. Those two hot-heads from table five are _looking_ for a fight.” Nyx slid his gaze over to the two pointedly, just in time to see them sneering in the Crownsguard’s direction. “Maybe if I stick close?”

“Just try to make it till last call.”

Nyx wasn’t sure the Astrals were that merciful, but he’d try. He spent the greater part of twenty minutes just casually wiping the bar and watching the floor. Tredd and Lazarus would keep shooting glances towards the newcomer, but then those gazes would turn towards him and whatever scheme they’d devised would die.

Liquid courage was a thing, though. Nyx just hoped it didn’t settle in before the final rounds were handed out.

“Refill?” he asked as he wiped past the Crownsguard.

The man glanced at his glass, grunted softly then nodded. “Please.”

At least he was nice, that was a plus. Grabbing the whiskey and starting a tab under ‘tough lookin’ Crown’, Nyx refilled the man’s glass and took a chance. “Haven’t seen you before,” he said as he poured. “Been out of town for a while?” He’d started to ask if he was new amongst the guard, but he was pretty sure no one _new_ to the Crownsguard could cause that much of a ripple through the Kingsglaive ranks.

“Hm,” was the only answer he got until the glass was set back down. “Mission.” Was all he got after in that flat ‘I’m-not-interested-in-talking-about-it’ tone.

Nyx rolled to the next topic he had ready. “First time here then?”

The man shrugged. “Heard someone mention it.”

This guy was killing him. It was like conversing with a brick wall, and Nyx was doing this to keep the vultures from swooping in like the guy was fresh roadkill to rip into. “Might I make a suggestion?” he asked, tilting his head a little as the chilly gaze came back to him. “Libertus makes a brew in-house. You should give it a try.”

Nyx brought him a glass of water first before offering him a jar of what looked like pitch. Lib had never figured out what was turning the brew black, nothing was bad. Made it unique anyway.

The man was staring down into the jar curiously before he glanced back up, and eyebrow raised. “It’s black.”

Nyx almost laughed. “Something to do with how it’s brewed,” he offered. “It’s fine really. We started jokingly calling it Coeurl’s Blood because it has a bit of a bite to it. I’ll drink one too if you’re worried it’ll make you sic-” Nyx gaped as the man tossed back the shot, paused briefly to give a little shudder, then settled his gaze back on him, seemingly unimpressed.

“Not bad. What’s in it?”

And that was how Nyx ended up spending the next fifteen odd minutes discussing different things that could be added to alcohol to change it’s flavor.

It was a nice discussion, one Nyx was actually enjoying. Lib was getting ready to call for the last orders of the night as Nyx grabbed another jar from the back to take to his new drinking buddy - though he hadn’t gotten his name yet.

“Heads up,” Lib called. “We’re about to have trouble.”

Nyx cursed and looked over to where the Crownsguard was still sitting. Sure enough, Tredd and Lazarus were standing there. Tredd seemed to be the instigator, leaning one hand on the bar so he could leer into the Crownsguard’s face.

“This ain’t your night, Marshal,” Tredd was saying as Nyx moved back over. “Crowns don’t come in here till Thursday.”

The man - Tredd had called him Marshal, was that his name? - glanced at the clock on the wall and shrugged. “It’s Thursday now.”

The look on Tredd’s face as Lazarus crowded him from behind was enough to have Nyx hopping the bar to get to the three men faster. Libertus was right behind him, coming around the bar quickly.

“Whoa there, big guy,” a woman’s voice called out from seemingly nowhere. The female Kingsglaive that had been sitting at the table with the two troublemakers materialized from the shadows, her scruffy friend close at her heels. She reached out and grabbed Libertus by the arm, and then the two of them seemed to freeze in place.

Nyx knew Lib could handle himself, he also didn’t have the time to help him even if he wanted to. Tredd was about to get violent if the goading coming from Lazarus was any kind of indication. He moved quick, planting a hand against the Crownsguard’s chest and shouldering his way between him and Tredd. He had his head turned slightly, trying to look between all of the men at once. Usually that was enough to calm a situation down, but then usually the only fights were between old, drunken men; not soldiers in their prime.

“Alright you three, cool it-”

Lighting laced under his skin, hot and painful. He didn’t cry out, but only because his jaw locked down on him as electricity danced across his bones. ‘Marshal’ reached out, grabbing his arm as Nyx jerked from the effects of the magically enhanced punch. The other man stared at him for half a second before his eyes went frighteningly cold, then directed that hard stare towards the two men who were now rather desperately trying to back out of the bar.

Nyx couldn’t hear anything over the loud ringing in his ears, and his last rational thought before he dove headfirst into unconsciousness was that the Crownsguard had the nicest _blue_ eyes he’d ever seen.


	3. Chapter 3

# Chapter 3

Nyx woke up swinging blindly, not sure where his enemy was but knowing he was there. Moving was an effort that hurt, however, and it tore a snarl from his throat.

“Whoa! Nyx, easy!” Libertus yelped, cursing when he caught a grazing blow to the arm. “You’re okay, you’re in your room.”

“I feel like I got hit by a truck,” Nyx groaned, covering his face with his arm. “How’d I get upstairs? Last thing I remember is the fight…” And blue eyes, but he wasn’t ready to tell Libertus that part yet. He wasn’t even sure he believed that part himself.

“Your new Crownsguard buddy helped me get you up here. Must have made a hell of an impression while talking to him. He seemed worried. Even Crowe said that’s unusual.”

“Wait, who?” Nyx moved his arm enough to see Libertus look away from him shyly. “Lib?”

“She’s my match, Nyx,” his childhood friend told him in that quiet voice he reserved for when he was truly excited about something. “She reached out to stop me from following you, and the world just..” He fluttered his hands around in the air. “It just _exploded_.”

Nyx fell quiet while Lib rambled on, staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom. Was it possible then? That maybe…

“He didn’t want to leave at first,” Lib was saying, “but Crowe said they needed to take the other two in, especially since one of them used magic on a civilian.”

“Lib,” Nyx murmured, staring blankly at the ceiling like it held the secrets of the universe. “Lib, his eyes…”

“Huh? Uh, yeah. He’s got a mean ass glare-”

“No, Lib. They were _blue_.”

Libertus stopped and stared. “You sure?” When Nyx nodded, Lib started chewing on his lower lip. “He didn’t say anything though. Crowe was all excited and talking about coming back after work, but he never said a word.” He stood up and started pacing in front of Nyx’s bed, brow furrowed.

Dread was a dark void opening under his feet. “Maybe,” Nyx started and licked his lips. “Maybe it was because of the shock. Maybe that caused it.”

“Yeah, that’s probably it,” Lib agreed quickly. “Don’t worry about it, and get some rest. I already closed up.”

Nyx nodded and watched Libertus leave, but couldn’t help but to worry.

A lot of ‘what-ifs’ were crowding his brain, and he had no way to quiet them.

* * *

Selena had read a lot of romance novels growing up. Most of them were your usual fluffy, nonsense love stories where everyone lived happily-ever-after, but she had a few that were rather… Dark. Nyx remembered reading one once, out of simple curiosity. It had been about a fictional war - obviously based on the real one - where two empires fought one another for control over the continent they both resided on. The woman lived on the more peace-loving side, while her match had been a soldier for the enemy. They’d met when she’d been tending to the wounded, finding him amongst those on the battlefield. They’d stared at each other in horror, before the man had tried to kill her in rage. She’d escaped, only to make her way to a cliff and drop off the face of it into the raging ocean below, unable to live in a world where the other half of her very soul loathed her.

That book came to mind now, as Nyx stared at the computer screen, balancing out the accounts they used for the bar. He’d been staring at the same numbers for _hours_ , making no progress. There was a real fear there, though he couldn’t understand _why_. He wasn’t even sure the guy from the bar was his ‘match’. Maybe Lib was right, maybe the lightning Tredd had used to help fuel the ‘fuck you’ in his punch to maximum levels had just triggered something in his brain. But that felt _wrong_ somehow. Not to mention he couldn’t get the fucking image of the man’s blue-as-fuck eyes out of his head.

A knock at the door pulled him out of his thoughts and he looked up from the computer as Libertus popped his head past the door. He looked excited, like someone had just told him he could have his favorite candy floss Old Greta made back home.

“Did our guest of honor arrive?” Nyx asked, a small smile on his face when Lib nodded. “Alright, let's go meet her then.”

Crowe Altius, Nyx admitted to himself as he sat down at one of the tables in the bar, was a pretty woman. Tall and dark-eyed, she had a smile that could stop a man in his tracks if he was paying attention enough. Nyx wasn’t paying a whole lot of attention, to be honest. Libertus was doing more than enough for the two of them. He just smiled and nodded occasionally as the pair talked about whatever, his gaze locked quietly on the bar behind her, at the corner seat against the far wall.

“Cor wanted me to make sure you weren’t hurt too badly,” Crowe was saying, catching Nyx’s attention. “What with Tredd’s dumbass using a lightning spell.” She raised a hand and gave him a thumbs up. “I gave him a good solid punch to the gut for ya.”

“Cor?” Libertus and Nyx asked at the same time. Nyx had heard Tredd call the man ‘Marshal’.

Crowe rolled her eyes. “That dipshit didn’t say his name, huh?”

Nyx shrugged, acting nonchalant despite the internal anxiety attack he was suffering. “I heard Tredd call him ‘Marshal’, so I just assumed that was his name.”

She started laughing then, pressing her hand into her stomach as she doubled over, nearly laying her head on the table. “Oh Gods, no. That’s his _rank_ , not his name.”

_Marshal._

“He’s a fucking _Marshal_?” Nyx breathed.

Crowe had a pleased look on her face, like she knew something they didn’t. Which she did. “And he’s a close friend to King Regis.”

Libertus and Nyx shared a look and Lib snorted. “Ya know how to pick ‘em, Nyx.”

Ignoring the jab, Nyx shook his head and forced a smile onto his face. “Ah, well then you can um… tell the Marshal that I’m perfectly fine.” He laughed a little, scratching at his cheek. “I’ve been hit by a Coeurl before so-”

Crowe practically spit tea, staring at him from over her cup. “ _What_?”

* * *

“That was utterly embarrassing,” Nyx growled as he threw himself onto the couch in the office while Libertus took the chair at the computer. “I hope she doesn’t tell that story to anyone.”

“They’ll be asking you to join the Kingsglaive if you keep impressing everyone,” Lib snickered, wiggling his eyebrows. “Then you’ll be in the same building as this Marshal of yours.”

Nyx managed to keep his body from going rigid somehow, just barely tensing at Libertus’ teasing. He threw his arm over his eyes and breathed in slow. That thread of excitement was still there, pulled tight like a bow string ready to release at the first shout. Anxiety fell in step with it though, because all of those little ‘what-ifs’ were still floating around in his fucking head and he really couldn’t stand the Astrals for making it even remotely possible for two halves of one complete soul to _hate_ each other.

“We agreed it was probably a fluke,” Nyx murmured against his arm, not looking up when he felt Libertus poke him with a toe. “Besides that, I’m not a battle hardened hero or anything, he probably wouldn’t even _like_ someone like me.” He forced a laugh despite the self-deprecation. Hell, there weren’t too many people outside of Libertus and his sister that liked him anymore. The villages back home had pretty much shunned them for leaving. Why leave when you had a perfectly good island to live on, afterall?

Libertus snorted and gave him a harder jab with his foot. “I’m not saying it isn’t, but you could at least, I don’t… Talk to him? He had to of noticed.”

He shrugged, trying to act like he was perfectly okay, because he was.  
He was _totally_ okay.  
 _Perfectly_ fine.

He closed his eyes and pretended he didn’t want to curl up in a corner and die.

“Why don’t you take the night off,” Lib murmured at the computer. “Business is usually pretty relaxed on Thursday, the Crownsguard don’t fuss too much and most of them come in on Friday. Besides, I can make sandwiches if the assholes get hungry.”

Nyx snorted and turned his head to the side so he could stare at him. “I don’t need a forced vacation, _boss_.”

Libertus rolled his eyes. “Stop trying to be a smart ass, you’re just an ass.”

That got a laugh out of him at least.

“Yes sir,” he said with a play salute, smiling crookedly. It wasn’t convincing, he could tell by the way Libertus was looking at him, trying to hold his gaze even as Nyx turned his away. “I’ll be fine,” he lied. “Even if it was a fluke, it was nice seeing that color again.”

“Blue was your favorite color, wasn’t it.”

Nyx allowed a real smile to break through. “Still is.”

* * *

He left the city.

He waited until Libertus was well and truly busy with the patrons downstairs before escaping out of his bedroom window like some teenager running off to meet up with a hot date. He was twenty-fucking-eight, he didn’t need to let his best friend know where he was going. He didn’t touch the car, instead stuffing his hands into his pockets and walking. He wasn’t going far. Maybe just outside of town. 

Then again, ‘out of town’ was across a long ass fucking bridge from the island that was Insomnia to the mainland. He stared out across that bridge from the gates leading into the city, one of the guards posted there peering out at him.

“That’s a long walk,” the guy murmured, eying him curiously. “You thinking about heading out of town? Maybe you should get a rental or something.”

Nyx smiled at him. “Nah, I’m not going far, I promise,” he told him before striking out down the bridge.

The wind blew harder after he got out further along the bridge, tossing his hair and batting at his clothing almost playfully. He closed his eyes as he walked, breathing in deep so the smell of salt water could weave its way into his lungs. It reminded him of home, sitting out on the beach with oysters he and Libertus had caught. Digging for sand-dollars with his feet with Selena. He opened his eyes and stared out across the open water, near the mid-way point of the bridge now.

He didn’t think he was a coward. He’d spent the greater part of the last ten years of his life doing things outside of his comfort zone. Moving to a new city, living on scraps to open a business with his best friend. Actually turning a profit with said business. He’d managed to do a lot.

But he was starting to feel the pull, the call to go back to Galahd. To go back home.

There was nothing for him back home except for a sister who was probably already married by now and a father who’d been drinking more and more. The islands hadn’t been kidding when they said they were shunning those who moved away from them. Selena still wrote, but her letters were few and far between. He wouldn’t be surprised if the next one he got from her was to tell him their father had drank himself to an early grave, if he hadn’t already. 

“You used to tell me to be brave, mom,” he murmured as he stared out at the ocean. “Be brave, be kind, and do what I must.” He let the corners of his mouth drop into a frown. “You never told me what to do if I didn’t know _what_ I needed to do, though.”

With a sigh, he dug around in his pocket until he found a cigarette, lighting it. Libertus would kill him if he found out, but he only did it well out of range of the house, usually when he was overthinking things and letting them get to him.

The ‘what-ifs’ were back, and digging their claws into his back like vicious little rats. It made his skin itch and crawl just thinking about it, but maybe if he analyzed it from all corners, he’d calm himself down. So, he took a deep breath and laid it out.

Cor was a Marshal, and the lead commander of the Crownsguard.

He might also possibly be Nyx's ‘match’. Something the other man may or may not be totally against.

Libertus had said he _seemed_ interested, but that could have been simply because Nyx had taken a lightning infused punch for the man.

Then there was the fact Cor hadn't sought him out like a _normal_ match would have. Like Crowe had Libertus after they realized who and what they were to each other.

Rationally, Nyx could assume that Cor was following the same line of thinking he was. That it had been some kind of error. Or maybe he didn't think anything because he hadn't _seen_ anything. Nyx could just be working himself up for nothing.

Irrationally he was thinking the absolute worst. Cor had been disgusted because he was a decorated soldier possibly paired with a bartending piece of trash that amounted to nothing. Maybe he'd be better off like that woman from Selena's romance novel. He could just fling himself off the bridge and be done with it. He wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. Lib could take care of himself after all, and now he had Crowe. And he hadn't even seen his sister in years and his dad wasn't breaking his neck to check on him.

Nyx turned and slid down the bridge railing, sitting there quietly with his head bowed against his knees. He was pathetic, he knew that. Libertus didn't need him around to bring down the happiness he'd just found. He couldn't bring his best friend into the black pit he'd been wading through since before they'd moved. He'd always tried to protect Lib, keep him happy when everything else in the world seemed bleak.

He closed his eyes and willed himself to stop existing, even if it was only for a moment so at least then his mind would be _quiet_.

“Hey, you ok?”

Nyx hadn't heard anyone drive by so was startled when the gruff voice spoke above him. Jumping a little then looking up sheepishly, he started to laugh but felt it die in the back of his throat.

The man above him blinked. “You're that bartender,” he murmured. “What the hell are you doing out here?” Cor, Marshal of the Crownsguard held out a hand, offering to help him up. Nyx felt the world dropping out from under his feet, spiraling him into a chaotic void.

“Just, taking a walk. Ya know?” He laughed, the sound cracked and far too obviously fake and forced. He didn't take the hand, instead pushing himself up on his own. “Didn't hear you drive up.”

“Didn’t drive,” Cor said as if it was the most natural fucking thing in the world.

Nyx stopped dusting off the seat of his pants to stare. “You… walked?”

“I was heading back into the city.”

Nyx turned his gaze from the Marshal down the road towards the gate leading out into Leide. He could just barely make out smudge in the distance that was the rocky hills and small mountains that surrounded the beginnings of a even smaller desert.

The man had walked.

From fucking _Leide_.

Nyx felt the laugh bubble in the back of his throat, escaping before he could clamp down on it. “You’re crazy,” he said as he turned his eyes back onto the Marshal. “You actually walked all the way here? How long have you been gone?”

Cor tilted his head slightly, a frown growing between his eyebrows instead of his actual mouth because the man apparently didn’t know what an emotion was. “Well,” he murmured after a moment. “After I locked Tredd and Lazarus up at the Citadel for the night, I was sent out.”

“Wait, wait. Stop.” Nyx held up a hand. “Have you slept? Are you insane? You went out at _night_?”

“Well, early morning.”

And the sun was just now lowering on the horizon.

“I…” Nyx trailed and shook his head. “I don’t even know what to say to that one. Welcome back?”

Now the frown really did reach Cor’s mouth, tugging the corners down slightly. “Er. Thank you?”

This was awkward, so very, _very_ awkward. Nyx wanted to die. He was actually considering throwing himself off the bridge. “Excuse me,” he murmured and turned, peering down at the ocean below as the sun sparkled off the waves. From this distance it’d probably kill him after a terrifying plummet-

A vice like grip curled around his upper arm to stop him and Nyx nearly went in anyway as oranges, reds and yellows filled his eyes to the brim. He breathed in sharp, so hard it hurt and nearly strangled him when his throat closed on a gasp. The sea and the sky stretched out before him, basking in the dying rays of the sun. The sky faded along the edges from blue to purple as night started to take hold and all Nyx could do was _stare_.

He felt Cor’s fingers tighten on his bicep, heard the ragged breath the other man drew forcefully into his lungs and knew.

_He saw it too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -throws sparkles and heads off to bed-


	4. Chapter 4

# Chapter 4

Cor just…

He just stared out across the ocean, his eyes wide and the stern expression on his face melted into something just a little bit softer. Nyx didn’t say anything, terrified he’d ruin the moment as the two of them stood on the side of the bridge, watching the last rays of sunlight as they dipped past the horizon. They continued to stand there, even as the high-powered lights along the road flickered on, obscuring the stars from the sky.

Cor’s hand had slid from his upper arm to his wrist, clutching it with such force that Nyx’s fingers were starting to go numb.

“Um,” he murmured, his voice a whisper. He paused, cleared his throat and tried again. “That was, um… that was, _very pretty_ , but um…” Cor was still just staring out across the sea. “Um, Cor, I kinda need my hand to _not_ be amputated?”

Cor turned and blinked, his gaze sliding to the white-knuckle grip he had on Nyx’s wrist. Grunting, he eased his hold, but didn’t let go. “Sorry.” Those blue eyes of his slid up and stared at his face quietly and Nyx felt a little shiver roll down his spine, but allowed himself the chance to study his face.

His eyes were indeed blue, almost the color of the sky on a winter morning. His hair was brown and cropped short, and a thin beard followed along the edges of his chin. Clothing wise, he followed the safe path of just black and grey, though Nyx was pretty sure black, white and grey were the only colors they used anymore.

Cor was studying him back it seemed, staring at his face curiously. “Your eyes are blue,” he finally stated after scrutinizing him for a few seconds. “Very… blue.”

The smile caught at edge of his mouth, curling it up slightly. “So are yours.”

The Marshal snorted, but continued to stare at him. “We should head back into the city.”

“We should.”

They didn’t move from that spot, just stared at each other quietly, Cor’s fingers wrapped around his wrist. They were going to have to move soon though, the air was growing colder without the sunlight to warm it, and Nyx hadn’t brought a jacket with him. He managed to hide it at first, but finally Cor seemed to notice the shiver that vibrated through his bones and frowned.

“Right.”

Then they were walking, and Nyx had this weird giddy feeling rolling around in his chest because Cor wasn’t letting go of his wrist.

* * *

They’d walked in silence the whole way back, the guard giving the two of them an odd look before nodding to Cor and mumbling “Marshal” under his breath. If he was wondering why the commander of the Crownsguard was dragging a civilian around by the wrist, he didn’t ask questions. Nor had the groups of people they’d passed on their way to the bar, not even the curious groups of Crownsguard that were walking out as they walked in.

Libertus looked up from the bar when the door opened, starting to greet them but stopped when Nyx waved sheepishly in his direction. His best friend stared at him for a moment before his eyes trailed down to where the Marshal was gripping his wrist, then his eyes shot back to his face, curiosity lighting them.

“Caught my runaway I see,” Lib called out and smiled. “I went to check on him a minute ago and his window was open.”

“He was on the bridge, moping,” Cor replied as they stopped at the bar.

“I wasn’t _moping_ ,” Nyx hissed, frowning. “I was thinking.”

Cor made a noise in the back of his throat, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he sat on the stool he’d occupied his first night in the bar, Nyx’s wrist still tucked safely against his palm. He pressed his back against the wall, blue eyes flicking from one corner of the bar to the other, completely ignoring the curious Crownsguard that were shooting the two of them looks over their mugs.

Nyx didn’t want him to let go to be honest, it felt kind of nice.. Cor’s hand was callosed, but warm against his skin. “Did you want a drink?” he asked, considering how to get around the bar without dislodging himself from Cor’s grip, though he doubted the other man was going to let go. Cor just shook his head however, and Nyx noticed his pupils seemed to be blown out, staring at everything possible at once. “Getting drunk on all the color?” Nyx teased, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Those light-blue eyes turned to him, landing like a physical blow. “You’re not?” Cor breathed out softly, his voice light and airy. He glanced off to the side, staring at the lone pool table that was used maybe once a month. “I haven’t seen green since I was a child…”

Nyx sat on the stool beside him. “Is that your favorite?” he asked curiously, taking the mug Libertus offered him and staring down at the liquid inside of it. It was brown, amber when the light hit it just right.

“It was,” Cor was saying, drawing his attention back to him. He was being stared at again. “I think I’m starting to like blue more.”

Nyx sputtered and laughed, earning a look from Libertus that told him he was going to have a lot of questions to answer later that night.

* * *

Cor didn’t leave until after the bar had closed, not that Nyx wanted him to leave. Part of him wanted to crawl into the man’s bones and sit there just so he could keep seeing the world for the vibrant thing it was. Crowe eventually stepped in, having stopped by to see Libertus after the bar closed up and have a drink. She’d taken one look at Cor hauling Nyx around to the different photographs and paintings that lined the wall and had laughed. It had taken her assuring him that he could come back later and Nyx would still be there for the man to finally let go. Then that had caused a whole new round of questions because the colors only dulled slightly when they weren’t touching and Crowe just beamed at them.

Nyx was regarding their home with newfound fascination after the two had left, when Libertus crowded him into a corner, shoving a beer into his hand.

“Details, now.”

Nyx frowned at him. “You utter gossip,” he grumbled but took a seat, playing with a pencil that was sitting there, used to write orders. It was bright yellow and Nyx loved everything about it. “I was just walking, I needed some air. I ended up walking along the bridge leading out of the city.”

Libertus was frowning at him, eyes narrowed. His eyes were blue too, and observation Cor had pointed out to him which had made Nyx laugh. He’d known that, and explained to Cor he and Libertus had grown up together in Galahd.

“Why were you walking out of the city?”

Nyx shrugged his shoulders. “I wasn’t leaving.” Libertus’ stare told him he knew it was a lie. “I wasn’t leaving the city.”

A hand reached out and bunched up the front of his shirt. “But you were _leaving_ ,” Libertus accused, staring at him hard. “You fucking idiot. I should hit you. I should punch you right in your stupid jaw.”

He was mad, and Nyx loved him all the more for it. “It’s ok, Lib,” he murmured, patting the hand that was clutching his shirt. “I’m still here.”

“What if Cor hadn’t walked by, huh?”

“Well, I mean we already knew the Astrals were assholes-” Libertus actually punched him, socking him right in the jaw. The bloom of pain knocked all the amusement out of him as he stared back at his childhood friend, blinking rapidly. “I deserved that…”

Lib puffed up, a look of righteous anger flashing through his eyes. “You’re not alone, Nyx, you never have been.” He sighed and dropped his hand, leaving Nyx’s collar wrinkled and stretched. “You big dumb idiot… What were you going to do? Just disappear and expect me not to look?”

Nyx tried to smile and failed. “I didn’t think you would, no.” He saw the second hit coming and didn’t try to dodge. He took it to the shoulder, though there wasn’t much force behind it. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re my _brother_ , Nyx. We’re family… We’re all each other has from home.” There were tears in his eyes, Nyx realized as he stared at Libertus. They weren’t falling, but they were shimmering just behind his eyes, held back. “Don’t you ever do that to me. I’ll figure out a way to get you back and then kick your ass. Then I’ll let Crowe and Cor take a turn too.”

Nyx managed a smile and nodded. “You got it.”

They lulled into silence, sipping their drinks while Libertus regained his composer a bit. “So,” he mumbled after a few minutes. “What was the Marshal doing out there anyway? Driving by?”

“He wasn’t driving,” Nyx said with a snort. “He was coming back from a mission. He walked, Lib. He walked to fucking Leide, took care of business then walked right back.” Libertus made a sputtering sound beside him, choking on his beer until Nyx smacked him on his back a few times. “He saw me sitting there and stopped. Honestly, the whole conversation was so awkward I was just going to throw myself off the bridge because of that, and then he grabbed my arm and…” He used his hands, throwing them out slightly and wiggling his fingers.

Libertus grinned. “Told ya. It just _explodes_.”

Nyx laughed. “And the sun was setting.”

“Ohhhh, how romantic.” LIb fluttered his eyelashes, grinning at him when Nyx snorted and rolled his eyes.

“First of all, stop,” Nyx laughed. “Secondly, I don’t think Cor has a romantic bone in his body. What do they call it? Platonic? It’ll probably be like that.”

“I’m going to ask you to stop reading Selena’s weird ass novels, please.” Lib informed him, arms crossed over his chest. “It gives you weird ideas. How many matches have you heard referred to as ‘platonic’, or for that matter, chaostrophic. Hell, most of them fall in love almost instantly. I’m going to chalk the fact he wasn’t hoarding you over into a booth as part of him just being weird and aloof.”

“I’m not asking for that,” Nyx started, holding up his hand when Libertus opened his mouth. “I know what it means to find your match. I’m perfectly open for whatever, I’m just saying it’s fine if its purely friendship we end up with.”

Libertus regarded him for a moment in silence then nodded. “Alright, but Crowe and I are taking bets,” he murmured, smirking. “She thinks Cor will cave first. I grew up with you though. I _know_ you.”

Nyx made a face at him.

“You’re gonna do it,” Lib continued, his eyes bright. “You’re gonna slip up and say one of the dumbest pick-up lines out there and he’s gonna fall in love with you. I’m calling it.”

“I will not,” Nyx denied, eyes narrowed. “And there’s nothing wrong with my pick-up lines.”

“The absolute _dumbest_ ,” Lib reiterated, flashing his teeth in a dubious smile.

* * *

Nyx, infact, did _not_ use a really bad pick-up line on Cor. Because Cor was gone again the next day.

“They sent him out on a mission in Duscae,” Crowe was saying as she sat at the bar playing with her glass. “There’s some weird shit going on that’s got the King worried. He’s talking about sending out deployments,” she glanced at Libertus and gave him a sad smile. “So I guess I’ll be gone for a few days too.”

“It’d better be just a few days,” Lib huffed, worry coloring his voice. “What kind of weird shit are we talking about?”

Crowe gave a little shrug. “Most of its classified,” she explained. “Even I’m not high enough on the payroll to know about it. But I know the Niffs have been causing trouble along the border of Tenebrae. The Queen asked for Regis to send reinforcements to her estate just in case.”

Nyx frowned and ran a finger along the top of his glass.

Everything would be fine.  
Everything would be ok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -lights the dumpster on fire-  
> Yes.  
>  _Burn._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda stating an obvious fact here, but some events from the movie/game are still happening, just out of order and way later in the timeline because _why not_. If you have questions, feel free to ask. :P
> 
> -coughs and adds the ‘angst’ tag-.

# Chapter 5

Everything was _not_ fine.

It had been a month, and Cor was still gone. Crowe had gotten sent out a week after Cor, and was now approaching her three week mark, but she kept in contact with Libertus, texting him or calling him when she had time. Nyx had no way of knowing with Cor. They hadn’t exchanged numbers and Crowe was in a different faction than he was. So Nyx had taken to listening to the Crownsguard when they were within the bar. Most were pretty quiet, so Libertus took a chance and straight out asked a group of them one night about their Commander.

He’d been reporting in, they’d told him. Once a day until he ran into some trouble and had to drop off the grid. There’d been nothing but radio silence for a week now. None of them seemed overly worried, and Nyx figured he could understand why. Cor was a bit of a legend around Insomnia, he’d found out. The King himself had nicknamed him ‘The Immortal’ because the bastard was just so damn difficult to kill. That both relieved some of the stress Nyx had building up inside of him as well as made him all the more nervous. The simple fact that Cor was constantly put into situations that had a high chance of getting him killed was anxiety inducing. The thought that he’d been through enough of them to earn that particular nickname was even more so.

Still, as the days went by they heard less and less about Cor, but apparently other things were going on that were more pressing to the world.

The Queen was dead, and Tenebrae was on fire.

Nyx and Libertus had stood by the radio, undeployed Crownsguard and Kingsglaive behind them, all listening in silence as a woman reported on what was happening. They kept calling it an ‘accident’, a fire somewhere had gotten out of control and suddenly the whole manor was alight. Libertus kept snarling under his breath.

“Why would they attack Tenebrae? They were already in control of it.” Nyx murmured under his breath as he leaned back against the bar, arms folded across his chest. “That’s the seat of the Oracle.”

“Niffs are greedy,” one of the Kingsglaive behind him murmured. “They want all of Lucis too.”

“Well they can’t fuckin’ have it,” a Crownsguard responded and a lot of murmured ‘fuck yeah’ and ‘fuck Niffs’ followed.

Nyx turned and looked back over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised. “It takes a kingdom getting razed to the ground for you lot to all get along?” The gathered men and women behind him glanced at one another before several shrugs and some laughter came from them.

“For now.”

* * *

Crowe was gone for two months.

Deep within Tenebrae’s borders trying to get the Oracle’s daughter out. The mission wasn’t successful, and in the end the princess had instructed the Kingsglaive to leave her behind. Her brother was still there, and she was needed still by the people left alive in Tenebrae. She held no love for Niflheim, but there were still innocent people there.

It was speculated that Queen Sylva had angered the Empire some how, but the only one who truly knew was the Emperor. Her murder and the destruction of the Fenestala Manor were swept under the rug. Many in Lucis surmised that it was because King Regis had sent some of his personal guard to help her. The presence of the Kingsglaive may have forced the Imperials to make their move sooner than they’d wanted, and the end result was disaster.

Libertus closed the bar the day Crowe came home, and Nyx made himself scarce, letting the two have their time together.

He took the car this time. Beat up and probably some type of lemon, he and Libertus had pitched what money they had for the thing. Rust-bucket red and called a ‘death trap’ more than once, it had sufficed getting them to where they needed to go for years. Nyx was surprised it still ran, but he and Lib had decided years ago the poor thing was held together by magic and some kind of sentient will of its own.

He stopped at the gate to the bridge, waiting for them to let him out. The guard there checked what he needed to check, peering into the cracked window at him. “Headin’ out to Leide?” he asked, trying to be friendly.

Shame Nyx wasn’t in a friendly mood. He shrugged his shoulders. “Just driving.”

The guard eyed him for a moment then shrugged. “Suit yourself, but be careful. The whole country’s nervous after what happened in Tenebrae.”

Nyx nodded, and rolled on past the gates, heading out.

There had been talk of war. The King had the proof he needed to justify going to war for the people of Lucis, his own guard had been there when the attack had happened. But there was no way the people of Gralea would accept it. If Lucis won the war, there would be smaller battles for _years_ from resentful Graleans. So King Regis was catching a lot of hate from his own people for backing off now that Tenebrae was gone, especially since the Oracle’s daughter, Lunafreya, had been betrothed to his son, Noctis, years ago. A surprise that had shocked the nation when they’d learned about the secret arrangement. Just another reason for the Emperor to strike out.

Nyx turned the radio only to immediately turn it back off as he drove, every station droning on about the possibilities of war. He knew he should be more invested in his country’s problems, but he couldn’t find it in him to be able to worry if they were going to war or not when Cor was still out there somewhere.

Sighing, Nyx kept driving, staring out at the dusty landscape of Leide as he drove off the bridge and through the border check. He hadn’t been out this way in a while, years really. He and Libetus had done odd jobs for a gas station clerk at a nearby pit stop before coming to Insomnia, living out on a nearby haven until they managed to earn enough Gil to actually move. Then they’d found out Gil was worthless in Insomnia and the conversion rate was horrible. They’d still managed to move in, scraping by on paychecks from a local Galahdian resturant that benefited from them actually being Galahdian. He still had some fond memories of the place, and the cook that resided there.

A lot of his and Libertus’ outings had been just to get ingredients for the man. He could make a mean Jambalaya too.

The thought occurred to him to stop in, but he turned right before reaching Hammerhead or Takka’s Pit Stop, edging off onto a road that was typically used to get the Galdin Quay. Another turn onto a dirt road and he pulled up as close as he could to the haven and started unloading his gear.

He’d texted Libertus after he’d packed the car, letting him know he was going to be out for a few days or so. Lib didn’t ask where he was going, just responded with ‘be careful’ and allowed Nyx his peace.

The sun was setting by the time he finished pitching his small tent and got a fire lit. Which was fine with him. He laid out on the ground, staring up at the sky as the stars slowly started peeking out of the blanket of darkness overhead. The runes that lit up along the haven gave off a little light, just enough that he didn’t really need a fire, but he kept it burning. The runes kept some monsters at bay, but not all of them, and Nyx really didn’t feel like fighting with a voretooth right now.

Laying on the rock and listening to the sounds as night fell and the light of the moon rose in the sky, Nyx let his thoughts wander. In the distance, he could hear the sounds of chocobos calling to each other from a large grouping of trees further down the road. He smiled faintly and listened to the two birds calling to each other, wondering absently if Cor had ever ridden one. Probably not if the idiot had walked all the way to Leide then back to Insomnia on his own two feet.

That was definitely an idea for if- _when_ -Cor came back from his mission.

* * *

Nyx stayed gone for an entire week. His phone had died two days in, not that it really mattered. He’d let Lib know exactly where he was just incase the other man needed him. Hammerhead was still fairly close and if need be he could have called there and had someone sent for him. So it was rather shocking when Nyx made his way back to Insomnia and found the Galahdian quarter of the city in an uproar. He didn’t try to talk to anyone, watching as they threw things into vehicles as if packing to leave the city all together.

Frowning, he walked inside the bar, still looking back over his shoulder. “Lib, what the fuck is going on outside?” He turned and found Libertus and Crowe staring at the radio and stopped dead in his tracks, watching them. The look on Lib’s face sent a chill down his spine. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “What’s happened?”

Crowe made a choking sound in the back of her throat and looked on the verge of tears despite the cold anger that lit her eyes.

“Imperials,” Lib murmured and licked his lips, fighting back a snarl that was grabbing at the corners of his mouth. “The Empire attacked Lucis.” He took a deep breath, trying to ground himself, and Nyx watched as Crowe reached over and squeezed his shoulder. That seemed to calm him a little bit, and Nyx couldn’t help the sting of jealousy that tore through him.

“Where did they attack, Lib?”

Things were going in slow motion. It was the weirdest feeling. Like he was listening to Libertus from underwater, the other man’s voice muffled to his ears. His face went slack as he stared straight ahead. In the back of his head, a voice was screaming at him, ripping into him with tiny claws. He closed his eyes and thought of his sister and his father. He pictured them perfectly, his dad grumpy as always, Selena smiling that happy smile of hers. His mind rebelled against the happy image, replacing their faces with ones covered in soot, blood and pain. Tears streaked Selena’s cheeks, and his father’s eyes bulged with death and maggots.

“Galahd,” Lib said as he watched his best friend sway on his feet. “They attacked Galahd.”

* * *

The cries for war got a lot stronger after that, the Galahdian’s still within the city crying it the loudest.

Nyx had tried to leave twice, stopped both times by Libertus and Crowe. They’d argued, snarled at each other until Libertus’ voice gave out and Nyx had a migraine from hell. They’d waited, then they’d argued some more for good measure.

It had been Pelna, Crowe’s partner from the Kingsglaive that had been the voice of reason for Nyx finally.

“They aren’t letting anyone into the village,” the man told him, sitting at the bar. They’d been closed for nearly a week now, unable to find it in themselves to open after the news. Libertus was stalking the damn place like a caged Coeurl and Nyx was so touchy he snarled at anyone who got too close. Even now he bared his teeth at Pelna as if it were the man’s fault.

“My sister is there,” he snarled, gripping the edge of the bar so hard his knuckles turned white. “She could be hurt, stuck inside.”

“Those that could leave, left,” Pelna repeated for the third time, his voice calm. Reasonable.

Nyx didn’t want reasonable. He wanted a fight, to punch something in the face. He snarled his frustration and turned his back on Pelna. “What if she’s stuck somewhere and hurt and they don’t know,” he said as he squared his shoulders, trying to keep from curling in on himself. “What if they missed her?”

“Nyx.” It was that reasonable voice again, trying to pierce through his anger. “The Empire leveled the place. There’s nowhere she could have hidden that they wouldn’t have found her by now.. All you can do is wait. Once the fires burn out, they’ll look again…”

He punched a wall on his way up stairs, leaving a dent in the drywall. He didn’t care.

* * *

The fires in Galahd burned for three days before finally smoldering out. Rescue teams from all around Lucis went in to try and find survivors. They found children huddled on beaches, burned, scared and shivering.

A week later, Nyx received a box. With it was a letter from his village’s chief. ‘I’m sorry’, had been all it said. Within the box were remnants of his home. A photo of his mother and father, so charred it was starting to fall apart. A book, one of Selena’s, and another picture. It had been folded up and tucked away. There was a blood stain on the corner that he kept his fingers very far away from as he opened it. There were three faces staring back at him. His sister, her husband and a child cradled in her arms.

Nyx shoved everything into the box and shoved it across the room into a corner, as far from him as he could get it. Then he curled up with his face tucked against his knees and let the sobs he’d been holding back tear his lungs to shreds.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been posting these one a day, but they might start slowing down a bit, I'm not sure. I've been neglecting other stories in favor of this one, lmao.
> 
> In other news, you'll notice this one has been added to a series. That's because I was talking to a friend of mine that suggested I write stuff from Cor's POV so readers see stuff they missed. So in that series - Side Quests Unlocked - you'll see a new story pop up in a few days or so titled "Side Quest Unlocked: Cor". I may or may not do one for Libertus and Crowe. Depends on if its something the readers of this would be interested in.

# Chapter 6

Nyx learned in the weeks following the attack on Galahd that life was a lot about movement. As long as he moved, pretended to be interested in something, spoke when spoken to, everything seemed normal. Except it wasn't normal and he was raw on the inside, stretched too tight and ready to snap.

Nights were the worst. He woke most nights with a name stuck in the back of his throat and voices in his head asking for help he couldn’t give. Then he’d remember he was only alive because he and Libertus had fucked off ten years ago, leaving their home and families behind.

What if they’d stayed?

Could they have helped?

Would Selena still be alive?

Most nights he fell asleep to the vision of her happy and whole, only to wake up an hour later with the blood curdling scream of a dying child ringing between his ears.

* * *

Nyx didn’t argue when Libertus told him they were going to close the bar early that night. He didn’t have the energy really. He just nodded his head and started washing the dishes like he did every night. Movement was key. Movement was normal.

“Nyx,” Libertus called to him when he realized he wasn’t being followed, stopping by the stairs. When all he got was a hum in response, he sighed. “Leave those, we can get them in the morning.” Another hum, but Nyx didn’t put the glass he was washing down. 

Libertus waited a moment before he spoke again.

“It’s going to be okay.”

Nyx stopped washing the cup and stared at it for a long moment, watching the soap suds slide down along his fingers before dripping off into the sink. Slowly he turned his tired gaze on his best friend. He felt hollowed out. Empty.

“Is it?”

Libertus couldn’t answer him, so he went back to washing the dishes in silence.

He kept moving, cleaning the bar and the tables even after Libertus gave up on him and went on upstairs. He didn’t even bother to check the time, or hurry as he moved from table to table. The only thing waiting for him when he tried to sleep were nightmares that would wake him up no sooner than he’d closed his eyes. So why bother?

When he finished, he didn’t go upstairs. He pulled one of the upturned chairs from a table and sat on it, staring quietly at one of the paintings of Galahd Libertus had hanging on the wall. He’d seen some photos in the weeks following the attack. All those lush green hills and trees? Black, nothing but ash. The buildings? Destroyed, just piles of brick and rebar. It hurt to think about it, but it was either hurt because his homeland and family were _gone_ or hurt because Cor had been gone for four months now and there was still not a single word from the man.

His eyes drooped slightly and he willed them back open. The bell over the door dinged and he wondered how he’d forgotten to lock the damn thing, or why Libertus hadn’t bothered. 

“Sorry, we’re closed for the night,” he turned to glance over his shoulder towards the door and blinked, because he was obviously hallucinating. Or he’d dozed off.

“I thought you were open till after midnight,” Cor murmured with a frown on his face. He looked like shit, Nyx realized as he moved to stand up, nearly falling out of the chair in the process. His clothes were a bit tattered around the edges, smudged in dirt, mud and what was probably blood. His face was in similar shape, covered in soot, mud and what looked like a nasty bruise along his jaw.

Nyx’s jaw opened and closed a few times before he finally managed to speak. “You look like shit.”

Eyebrow arched, Cor gave him a once over. “You’re one to talk.” Then his brows came together and a frown tugged the corners of his mouth down. “When was the last time you slept?”

“When was the last time you _bathed_ ,” Nyx shot back defensively then frowned at himself. “Sorry.” He slumped back down into the chair. “Did you just get back?”

Cor was watching him with something akin to curiosity as he walks closer, flipped a chair from off the table to sit on it. “Mhm,” he hummed in confirmation. “Filed my report with the King, and was heading to my apartment and decided to stop by here.”

_Keep moving._ He reminded himself.

He had to keep moving.

“Oh, welcome back?” Nyx murmured. “Why did you come here? I’m sure you’re tired.”

“I wanted to see you.”

The answer was so bluntly honest, it caught Nyx off guard. He blinked, stared at Cor then laughed. “I’m not worth seeing,” he chuckled, his gaze sliding away from Cor to stare at the woodgrain in the table. “Not worth much of anything…”

Cor was silent for a moment, and Nyx could feel those ice blue eyes boring holes into his head trying to read his mind. He wanted to apologize, after all he’d just gotten back into town and came all this way to see his sorry ass. He stood up abruptly, swaying for half a step. “I’ll get you something to drink-” 

Colors that had been muted over the last few months since Cor left flared to life when the man’s fingers wrapped around Nyx’s wrist. They both stiffened for a second, relaxing only when the initial shock was over with. Nyx glanced at his arm where the Marshal was holding onto him, feeling an odd twinge run along under his skin.

“Sit,” Cor ordered.

Nyx’s gaze slid from his hand to his face, eyes narrowing. “Don’t start ordering me around,” he grumbled. He was too tired for this. He didn’t even have the energy to argue with Libertus anymore, he was pretty sure he’d need the strength to move mountains before he was ready to argue with the Marshal.

Cor tugged at his arm. “Sit.” It was gentler this time, more of a plea than an order. Nyx sat. “I’ve been on radio silence for three months now,” Cor said after he was resting on the chair again. “And the King wouldn’t tell me a damn thing about what’s going on other than he’d tell me later. He wanted me to sleep first.” Cor’s eyes narrowed and he looked… frustrated. He scrunched his nose slightly, like he was getting ready to release a little snarl and Nyx found the action rather… endearing. “What’s been going on?” he finally asked, letting his frustrated gaze slide to meet Nyx’s.

“Queen Sylva is dead.” Nyx flinched slightly when Cor’s fingers tightened around his wrist, his eyes boring into him with unspoken questions. “The King sent his Kingsglaive in, upon her request,” Nyx continued. “She was worried about something, but the Emperor attacked anyway despite them being there. Swept it under the rug as an ‘accident’, burned Tenebrae to the ground.”

Cor turned his gaze onto the table and used his other hand to rub across the top of his head, mussing his short brown hair which seemed to have grown out a bit during his time away. He murmured something Nyx didn’t catch, then turned his attention back to Nyx. “I suppose I’ll have to ask the King for more information on that one,” he murmured then sighed. “Anything else happen?”

Nyx swallowed hard, kept himself from getting up and pacing the room. He wasn’t going to break down in front of Cor. He wasn’t. He steeled himself, shoving his face back into the blank expression he’d forced on himself when talking about his home. Cor’s reaction to the change was immediate, his eyes sharpened, focused in on Nyx and his back straightened a little. Nyx wanted to hate him for making him feel like what he said mattered.

“Galahd is gone.” His voice cracked, his composure shattering for a moment before he shoved the pieces back into place. His vision went hazy and he took a deep breath, willing himself back from the ledge his emotions were hovering at. “The Imperials took a chance,” he explained once he felt like his lungs weren’t going to explode. “They took a chance and won.” He explained everything in a voice void of any emotion after that, like a narrator on some channel explaining the effectiveness in which a Voretooth killed its prey. He explained how the Imperial MTs had managed to infiltrate the outer parts of the island, set up base and then just set everything they could on fire. They hadn’t taken prisoners, there was no point. They didn’t _want_ prisoners. They just wanted the people of Lucis to hurt.

Cor didn’t say anything as they sat in silence, he just soaked up the information given to him, staring at Nyx quietly. It took Nyx a moment to realize that he could feel movement on his arm, a slow, gently stroke of a thumb rubbing along the tendon in his wrist. He lowered his gaze to stare, watching as Cor’s thumb continued the circular motion, trying to figure out why it seemed so oddly soothing.

“I’m tired,” he confessed after a moment.

“Then you should sleep.”

He laughed, a hollow and mirthless sound. “I can’t.” He sounded broken, even to his own ears. “I don’t understand,” he continued, even though his mind told him to shut up. Cor didn’t want to hear all of this, the man probably wanted to get clean and get some sleep. “I keep thinking that maybe if Lib and I had been there, maybe we could have helped…” He trailed off and looked at Cor, half expecting to see him rolling his eyes. “They killed my little sister…”

There was a knowing look in Cor’s eyes, Nyx realized, as the man leaned closer and moved his hand from his wrist to rest on the back of his neck. His fingers threaded through his hair, scratched along the back of his neck and settled there, applying pressure. Nyx breathed in slow, the feeling ragged.

“You can’t beat yourself up over something you couldn’t control,” Cor murmured. “You can’t blame yourself because you weren’t there… Sure, maybe you could have saved a few more. Maybe one or two wouldn’t have died. But what good would that do the world?” He tightened his grip on the back of his neck slightly. “And what good would it have done you to die there as well?”

Nyx wanted to laugh. He tried to. The sound cracked and crumbled to the ground, dying before it fully left his throat. He dropped his head instead, and hunched his shoulders, curling in on himself slowly. “You probably need to head home, huh?” he asked after a few minutes, knowing he was taking up Cor’s time. Time the man could be using sleeping. “Sorry.”

“I’m right where I need to be.” The statement was finite. 

Nyx closed his eyes, and breathed out slow.

“Okay.”

* * *

Nyx woke with a start in his own bed, staring up at the ceiling. Light spilled into the room from his window, birds chirped and downstairs he could hear Libertus and Crowe in the kitchen cooking breakfast. He laid there for a while, listening to all those sounds and slowly let the realization that he’d actually slept without having a nightmare dawn on him. Maybe it was because he’d been exhausted? He sat up and rubbed his face, trying to make sense of it.

“Feeling better?”

Nearly jumping out of his skin, Nyx jerked his head towards his door and nearly fell off the bed. Cor was leaning against it, staring at him curiously. He’d bathed, obviously since there were still specks of water in his hair. Shaved, and had changed clothes. Those clothes looked like something that would have been in the bottom of his dresser. In fact…

“Is that my shirt?” he asked lamely, blinking several times at the faded print of a Chocobo peering down at a fallen Cactuar. That was definitely his shirt.

Cor shrugged. “Libertus advised it. His clothes were a little too big for me.” He made an amused sound in the back of his throat. “Or he claimed they would be. Crowe informed me that all of his clothes belong to her, and I’m not allowed to touch them.”

Nyx made a face, then shook his head. “Those two are gross.”

The Marshal tilted his head. “Gross?”

Nyx stared at him for a moment, frowning. “How do I explain this… Girlfriends do this thing, where they claim a guys clothes because they like them. Either the way they fit, smell or just because,” he shrugged. “I think she’s doing that with Lib. So basically, his clothes are her clothes.”

“They’d swallow her.”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. They are hers.”

“Hm.” Turning, Cor started out of his room towards the stairs. “I suppose it’s a good thing we wear the same size then,” he murmured over his shoulder, before disappearing around the corner.

Nyx choked on air.

* * *

Libertus - Six bless his soul - was trying _very_ hard not to stare at Cor as the man practically dissolved a stack of pancakes on his own. Nyx wasn’t asking questions, figuring the Marshal hadn’t had anything except rationed food packs for the last four months, but Libertus was looking at him like he was some type of challenge. Or food god.

“You like my cooking,” he finally murmured.

Nyx snorted. “Only because he hasn’t had mine.”

“To his credit, I haven’t had your cooking either,” Crowe laughed and then smiled sweetly when Lib shot her a glare. “I’m sure yours is the best, Lib.”

“I do all the cooking,” Nyx grouched, nibbling on a pancake. “I was just asleep this time.”

“Finally,” Libertus grumbled and started cleaning up. “Glad you finally got some sleep though. I was getting ready to ask Crowe to put makeup on you so you didn’t look half dead.”

Nyx made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat and shot his friend his best ‘fuck you’ glare.

“If you cook me dinner, I’ll cook you breakfast,” Cor said beside him, glancing at him from the corner of his eye.

The room fell dead silent.

“Huh? Oh, yeah I can cook dinner,” Nyx responded with an actual smile that felt odd after so many months of frowning at pretty much everything. “You don’t have to do breakfast though.”

Near the kitchen, Libertus cursed and Crowe started laughing. “Pay up, bitch.”

Nyx glanced towards the pair, one eyebrow arched. “What’s gotten into them?” he murmured as he watched the two squabble near the door to the kitchen. Crowe was laughing and Libertus was bitching as he reached into his pocket to pull out a handful of Crowns. Did they have some type of bet? On what? He scratched the back of his head and let it go.

They were weird.

* * *

“I can’t believe,” Libertus grouched later after Crowe and Cor had left to go to work. “That you weren’t the one to do it first. I figured after he got back you’d lay it on so thick it would be like listening to molasses slide out of a jar.”

“I have absolutely _no_ idea what you are talking about,” Nyx confessed, staring up from where he’d started making the menu for the bar crowd. Tonight was going to be their first night back open and operating regularly after a few months of changing between not open, or only open until evening.

Libertus released an exasperated sigh. “You are either truly the most innocent mind alive, or an idiot.”

“I find that offensive.”

“Cor, The Immortal, Leonis, friend of the King, Marshal to the Crownsguard, just asked you to make dinner for him.”

Nyx stared. “And?”

“And offered to make you breakfast in return.” When Nyx continued to stare, Libertus threw his hands in the air. “He expects either you or him to stay, in the same house, wherever it is you cook this dinner!”

Laughter bubbled in his chest. “You’re being silly, Lib.”

Libertus rolled his eyes, leaning against the counter. “I can’t believe he used such a cheesy line on you and it worked. Or that you don’t understand it yet.”

Nyx shrugged and turned his attention back to the food on the stove. “I just don’t see what the fuss is about,” he murmured as he turned the food to make sure it didn’t burn. “I’m not really worth the trouble-”

He yelped when the punch hit his shoulder, turning to look at Libertus with a frown. Libertus was pointing at his face, scowling.

“If,” Libertus started, glaring, “he didn’t think you weren’t worth the trouble, I wouldn’t have found the man sitting on your bed with you curled up beside him with your face pressed into his hip this morning. He looked perfectly fucking content, dirty clothes and all.” Nyx snorted, but didn’t have a retort. “I had to coax him with a shower and food to leave you,” Libertus continued. “And Crowe said something to him that made him laugh, I’m not sure what.”

“Something about your clothes being hers,” Nyx supplied as he finished cooking and set the food off to the side. “I had to explain it to Cor…” he frowned slightly and glanced at Libertus. “He said it was a good thing we wore the same size. I guess in case he shows up dirty again? Oh… he wore my shirt to work.”

Libertus threw his hands in the air. “By the Six you’re so _dense_ sometimes!” he groaned and walked off to open the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed your government mandated 'fluff' after two chapters of angst.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For your viewing pleasure, [Side Quest Unlocked: [Cor]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18565894/chapters/44008486) has been added. It is chapter one and parts of chapter two retold from his POV. Going to namely do them for his missions and such.

# Chapter 7

To his credit, Nyx was doing better. Cor had been back for a little over a week and the nightmares weren’t that bad. Cor had also given him his number and told him if he needed to talk, to call him. Nyx didn’t think he would, but the bonus of a ‘good morning’ text in the morning was a thing he was learning to appreciate.

He’d started it, really without thinking. Cor had sent him a text the night before that he hadn’t answered until morning, so he just sent a ‘good morning’ and apologized. The next morning, he’d simply gotten a text with the same ‘good morning’. It had become a back and forth after that.

Libertus was still determined the whole ‘cooking dinner for Cor’ was a date, despite Nyx denying it fervently. Nyx firmly believed it was simply because he’d boasted about his cooking skills prior. Lib just called him a ‘big fucking idiot’, and would stomp off to the cellar to check on his various supplies of liquor. Nyx just rolled his eyes and started preparing for the evening rush.

The dinner was to be made on the weekend, a weekend Libertus gave Nyx off from the bar. When he’d protested, Libertus had threatened him with bodily harm.

“Is there like, a human resources place I can contact?” he asked Crowe jokingly on Friday afternoon while preparing food. “He keeps threatening me.”

“He means well,” she’d laughed. “Just ignore him and take the weekend off. Cook Cor’s favorite food and have fun.”

It was in that moment that Nyx realized he had _absolutely no idea_ what Cor even liked. He didn’t really see it as a problem, he’d just ask, but Crowe took the reigns at that point, her dark eyes glittering with laughter.

“You’re not going to ask him,” she informed him, cornering him in the kitchen and threatening him with a ladle. “I’ll ask someone on the Crownsguard I know to investigate.” And there was her phone and she was calling a number before Nyx could stop her. “Monica, I need to cash in on one of those favors you owe me.” Her voice was disgustingly sweet. “I need you to find out what foods your boss likes.”

* * *

Monica, Nyx discovered, was _amazing_.

“You know, Cor is actually a pretty good cook,” Monica told him as she stood in the kitchen, holding ingredients in a bag to make something she’d claimed Cor liked to make himself. The dish had Karlabos claw in it, which alone had sent Nyx into a near panic attack. Those things were vicious. “So if you can do this right, he’ll be pretty impressed.”

“I mean, I was just trying to make something he’d like, not really like… impress him?” Nyx murmured as he stared at the items she’d brought with her. He frowned when he thought about that statement, because he kinda was trying to impress Cor. Refugees were coming into the city in droves now, and the people of Insomnia weren’t the most welcoming. Those from Galahd had secured their own corner of the city and stayed there, and more and more of them signed on to be with the Kingsglaive every day according to Crowe. So, in a way he was trying to impress Cor, if only to prove he was more than just some ‘dirty Galahdian’.

The sound Monica made brought him out of his thoughts. It sounded somewhere between a giggle and a scoff, and probably the most unique sound he’d heard in a while. He stared at her, blinking.

“My gods,” she mumbled then smiled. “No wonder he likes you.” She ignored the sputtering sound Nyx made as heat flared across his face. “Alright, first we need to boil the Karlabos claw meat, along with the mollusks. They need to be tender, make sure you use oranges and these spices,” she paused to pull out three different canisters. “The flavors from these bring the best taste to these two items and it goes really well asparagus.”

Nyx bit down on his embarrassment and forced himself to pay rabid attention to each step she took when crafting the dish. After she finished, she gave him the ingredients and waited. She made no comments on his methods of cooking, he did however, ask if he could embellish on it a little.

“I’m not trying to knock his recipe,” Nyx told her when she’d tilted her head curiously. “I just don’t want to make a complete copy of a food he makes for himself. I’m sure he’ll figure out you told me he likes this, but I’d rather add my own touch to it.”

She considered this for a moment then nodded. “It will make it special. Go ahead.”

He didn’t show her what he added, he simply added what he knew he’d like. Karlabos was a delicacy in Galahd. Libertus would kill him if he did the creature any sort of injustice.

He offered up the plate to Monica and sat back, watching her as she looked it over, like a judge grading a presentation. He twisted his fingers nervously, trying not to act too anxious when she finally stabbed a piece of the dish with her fork and placed it in her mouth. She stared straight ahead, no hint of emotion on her face as she chewed. When she swallowed and sat there in silence, Nyx knew he’d fucked up.

“Shit,” he murmured and rubbed his hands over his face. “Okay, I’ll follow your instructions exactly.”

“No.” Her voice was firm and had Nyx looking up at her in shock. “No. Serve him this. This exactly.” She wasn’t looking at him, instead she was looking down at the food as if it were made of gold, or had some kind of mystical properties that made it into a world wonder.

Nyx immediately became flustered. “Oh. Okay.”

* * *

Nyx woke Saturday morning to a missed call and a text from Cor. He didn’t explain much, but it was clear that their dinner plans for the evening were cancelled. The missed call had been a few hours ago, the text following it. Nyx wasn’t upset with it. It hadn’t been a date.

“Something came up,” he told Crowe and Libertus later, brushing it off the best way he knew how. He pretended it didn’t bother him. “He’s busy,” he continued. “The King probably needed him for something important.” If nothing else was certain in the world, one could be certain of Cor’s loyalty to the King. Nyx knew he could never be first in that regard.

“Shit happens,” Lib spoke up. “You guys can reschedule your date. Just let me know and you can have the day off.”

Nyx snorted, but knew better than to argue. Thing was, he didn’t think there _would_ be another ‘date’ as Lib put it. The way he figured it, Cor would likely realize before then that Nyx wasn’t all that interesting, other than the fact he was Galahdian. To hear Insomnians around the city talk, that wasn’t a good thing. Part of him knew the thought was wrong the moment he had it, but…

Nyx just wasn’t sure about the longevity of anything anymore.

So he spent the day - Libertus refused to let him work it because he’d already given him the time off - moping about his room out of sight, reading or watching tv until he finally fell asleep.

The next morning, Libertus woke him.

“Your boyfriend sent ya something.”

Nyx rolled his eyes as he got up, following LIbertus downstairs. “He’s not my boyfriend, Lib.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.” Lib moved to the side as he stepped off the last stair, revealing a slender white vase sitting on the bar. There were two green stems decorated in varying shades of blue flowers, nearly the same color as the ocean. Orchids. “Got your name on ‘em,” Libertus told him, his arms crossed over his chest with a rather smug smirk on his face. “Got the colors right and everything.”

“He’s was just apologizing. He didn’t even need to,” Nyx argued with a glare.

“You’re right, Nyx. When it’s very much _not_ a date, the person who backed out doesn’t always need to apologize,” Crowe agreed from beside Libertus, ignoring the betrayed look he gave her.

Nyx snorted triumphantly. “ _Thank_ you.”

“They do when it is a date though,” she continued. “And because he apologized, he _obviously thought it was a date._ ”

Nyx frowned at her and sighed. “Look, fine. Call it a ‘date’ if you want. It’s a hollow victory because _I_ still don’t think it was a date.” He rolled his eyes, but looked back at the Orchids. “It was probably Monica that sent them, she knew about it, and he is her boss… She probably thought it would make me feel better.”

“Did it?” the two asked in unison, staring at him.

Nyx sputtered slightly and felt his face heat up. “I wasn’t upset!”

“He was totally upset,” Crowe murmured to Libertus, who nodded in agreement.

“Very.”

* * *

He hated to admit it, but he was hiding. Hiding from Crowe and Libertus and their fucking teasing. And the flowers. He was hiding from those damn things too, because he would look at them and think about Cor and realize he probably didn’t even know they were there. Orchids weren’t all that spectacular of a flower, they’d had them in Galahd. The color wasn’t anything that would be considered special normally. At least not to anyone that was out and about. Blue was usually associated with strength. However, the fact that they were blue meant something to _him_ , and that rattled him a bit. So he’d left the flowers on the bar, in the corner where Cor usually sat when he swung by after work, and then he hid from them, his best friend and Crowe.

A knock on his open door broke him out of his thoughts. He sighed and pulled the pillow from over his head, turning. “Shiva’s frozen ass, Libertus. I swear if you-” he stopped talking immediately as amused, light-blue eyes stared at him.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard that one before,” Cor murmured, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against Nyx’s door frame.

Nyx stared at him, remembering to close his mouth, just in time to stop himself from asking stupid questions because the bar wasn’t open yet so of course Libertus had let him in. Instead, he asked another blatantly obvious question. “Did you just get back?” because Cor was once again covered in dust, dirt and Nyx was pretty sure there was a twig tangled in his hair.

“Yeah.”

He sighed, and stared at the man, feeling an odd little twinge. He actually _liked_ this idiot, he realized. “Go take a shower, you big dumbass,” he grumbled, shaking his head.

“Does that mean I can get dinner?”

Nyx snorted and arched his eyebrow, watching Cor curiously. “I don’t know. Can I still get breakfast?” He watched, rather awed by how Cor’s eyes changed. They grew sharper, focusing in on his face like a predator to its prey. He watched as the corner of Cor’s mouth turned up into this kinda half-smirk that suited the man more than he could possibly realize.

“I’ll take a shower.” He left without another word.

It was then that Nyx realized he’d essentially asked the man to _fucking stay the night_. “Oh,” he murmured, staring at the doorway to his bedroom. “Oh shit.”

* * *

Libertus was laughing his ass off because _fuck him_. Crowe just smiled and patted his hand understandingly. 

“At least you didn’t offer to wash his hair,” she told him comfortingly. “Lib did, then freaked out when he realized he had.”

Nyx made a sound in the back of his throat that sounded distinctly like a dying bird. “I don’t want to hear this!” he groaned.

“I’ve got a line for you Nyx,” Lib grinned at him as he leaned over the counter. “Tell him you know he’s busy, but you’d really liked to be added to his ‘to-do’ list.” Nyx could _hear_ him wiggling his eyebrows suggestively just from the way he’d said it.

His hands reached out, squeezing the air while his face stayed pressed into the wooden bar top. “I will murder you and _no one_ will ever find your body, you monster,” he groaned.

“You’ve been saved from further torture. _For now,_ ” Lib snickered, and Nyx raised his head in time to hear feet behind him. He turned and found Cor standing there, clean and in clothes he’d left laid out for him on his bed. The pants were a pair of lounge pants he wore from time to time when it was cold out, the shirt… The shirt was an idea that Nyx had forming. If Cor was going to show up to the bar after each mission to take a shower, Nyx was going to use it as an excuse to see what kind of shirts he could get the man in. Which meant finding the dumbest ones in his collection to give as offerings.

This one had a chocobo feather on it with the text ‘Cars Cause Pollution, Chocobos are the Solution’ written across the front. Cor seemed to have absolutely no problem with it.

Libertus was cracking up and didn’t argue when Crowe shoved him towards the basement. They disappeared shortly after, leaving him and Cor alone at the bar. Nyx figited, trying to think of something not awkward to say, but Cor broke the silence first.

“Oh, good she did order them for me,” he murmured, staring at the flowers sitting there.

Nyx blinked. “Wait, you did send them?”

The look on Cor’s face was priceless. “Is there someone else sending you flowers?”

“No! No! It’s just, I wasn’t… expecting them? I mean, thank you. They were nice, but you didn’t have to.

Cor scratched the back of his neck and looked away, and was… Was Cor fucking _embarrassed_? “I wanted to apologize, and asked Monica how I should. She suggested these, but I was in Leide taking care of something for Regis, so I asked her to send them here.” Cor still wasn’t looking at him, staring at the flowers intently instead.

Nyx wanted to argue, to tell him he didn’t have to send him something to apologize. It was nothing. But Libertus had been right, it had bothered him that the plans had been cancelled so suddenly, and obviously it had bothered Cor because he’d gone through the trouble to do that simple action all the way from Leide.

“Thank you,” Nyx said again, giving Cor a little smile when the man turned to look at him. “And welcome back.” His smile faltered a little when Cor raised his hand and reached out. He didn’t move, staring at Cor’s face while watching the hand edge past his cheek out of his light of sight. He resisted the urge to turn his head to see what exactly the other man was doing, until he felt a light, almost affectionate tug on one of his braids.

“Sorry,” Cor murmured. “I’ve been wanting to do that for _days_.”

Nyx snorted and chuckled softly before standing up. “I’m going to go make that dinner,” he told Cor with a grin. “Let me show you my domain.” He turned as Cor stood, and marched towards the kitchen.


	8. Chapter 8

# Chapter 8

Nyx’s kitchen was his baby. When he and Libertus had started their remodel, he’d taking the lead on the kitchen because if they were going to dump this much money into making their own bar, his kitchen was going to be a _masterpiece_. He’d styled it after a kitchen from back home, all rustic woods with cast iron pieces. The tops of the counter were made of driftwood and he had both a wood-burning and electric stove to cook on. A deep metal sink that he could probably bathe in if he was drunk enough, ad a double sided fridge with a box freezer. The island in the center of the kitchen was were the surface griddle sat, the wide stainless steel something he’d splurged a bit on, but Lib had informed him the food he cooked on it would make the money back for it.

It had, and then some.

Nyx was proud of his baby.

Cor was investigating the wine fridge that was sitting off to the side. It was empty, except a jar of Libertus’ liquor that sat in it. A test jar of a new flavor he was trying to make. 

“Don’t drink that,” he advised when Cor peered at the glass curiously. “Lib is trying something new. It tastes like paint thinner and hurts to swallow.” He scrunched his nose up a little bit when Cor looked back at him, an eyebrow raised. “I was sick for three days. I’m saving it for revenge or blackmail. I haven’t decided yet.”

Cor made an amused sound as he moved away from the fridge. “Am I helping with dinner or is this service and a show?”

Nyx snorted. “You sit on that stool,” he pointed to one across the island. “And you will be amazed by my culinary skills learned from the top, master chef of my home town.” He grinned when Cor took a seat, arching his eyebrow. “Grandma Ulric was meaner than a wet coeurl, but she could cook. And I was her favorite, so I got to watch.”

“You seem proud of that fact.”

Nyx grinned sheepishly, almost like a kid that had gotten caught with his hand in the candy jar. “She didn’t like many people,” he confided. “And if I’m honest, Selena was the favorite from the family.” He frowned a little when he started speaking of his sister, a distant look clouding his eyes for a moment. He hadn’t spoken much about her, it felt wrong. “She was the good kid, the one that didn’t run off to go play in the river and make a mess when she got home. She didn’t go off picking fights with the older kids either.” His frown deepened. “Sorry, I won’t bore you with that,” he laughed and started dropping things onto the counter to cook.

He was highly aware of the way Cor was watching him, which made him feel a bit anxious. Especially when he remembered Monica telling him that Cor actually knew how to cook, he was just kinda lazy most times and refused to cook unless there was a particular reason. Nyx supposed that gave Cor’s offer to make breakfast a lot more meaningful.

“You got in trouble a lot as a kid?” Cor asked as he watched Nyx start cooking. It wasn’t unnoticed how he eyed the ingredients, probably guessing what Nyx was cooking.

“Mmm. A bit, but we were kinda rough growing up, Lib and I.” Nyx was careful as he added his seasonings, glancing at Cor now and then to see if he was making any kind of weird face at what he added. He wasn’t sure why he thought that would work, since the man was a literal wall. Still worth a shot. “You?”

Cor snorted, his eyes moving from the stovetop to Nyx’s face. “I was a ‘little shit’, as Regis liked to put it.”

“Did you guys grow up together?”

Cor actually _laughed_. “Six no. I don’t think I would have been able to stand him. I was his bodyguard.” He leaned onto the counter, pressing his chin into the palm of his hand. “I was fifteen when I met him. I’d joined the military and King Mors, Regis’ father, had me step in and follow him as a bodyguard on his trip to Altissia.”

Nyx nearly dropped the orange in his hand, choking. “ _Fifteen_?! They let you join the military that young?”

“I lied.”

Cor was smirking at him, amusement dancing around in his eyes. “My dad would have liked you,” Nyx grumbled. “He wanted me to join in with Galahd’s hunters, but I refused.” He made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. “They didn’t even really go out hunting. They mostly just sat around and drank and killed any dangerous wildlife that got too close to town.”

“Is that why Grandma Ulric liked you so much?”

Nyx pursed his lips together, measuring out his seasonings. “More because I actually listened. She’d quiz me on her recipes.” He reached up and tapped his temple. “No one else has them. She never wrote them down.” He knew from experience that the smile that had slipped up on him was bordering on dubious. “When she passed away, my aunt tried to get me to write them down for her.”

“You didn’t?”

“Hell no,” Nyx laughed. “Lib and I left shortly after her funeral. My aunt was furious. But then, I was rebellious and felt justified. We were cut off from everything we knew simply because we wanted to expand our horizons.” He gave a little shrug. “Our matches weren’t in Galahd. If we hadn’t left…” he trailed off and watched Cor pointedly. 

Cor snorted softly and started to speak but stopped when Nyx set a plate in front of him. Nyx took the seat beside him, but didn’t touch his own plate. “Try it first,” Nyx instructed. “Hopefully I didn’t fuck it up.”

“I see you met Monica,” Cor murmured, staring down at the dish he usually reserved for himself or for when he was in company he actually prefered.

“She may have shown up upon a plea for help,” Nyx admitted, grinning. “Wasn’t me though.”

Cor chuckled then unceremoniously plopped a forkful of food into his mouth. Nyx nearly had a stroke because he wasn’t ready for the action and would have appreciated a bit of warning. He watched anxiously, his eyes locked on Cor as the man chewed thoughtfully then swallowed. Then he sat in silence, staring down at the food on the plate. Nyx wanted to die. He could use the alcohol in the wine cooler, he was pretty sure it was flammable. Or he could drink it.

“Fucking great,” he groaned and lowered his head onto the counter. “Can’t even get this right. Monica told me it was ok…”

“Nyx.”

“Shoulda just stuck with something safe. Bread is safe. I should have made biscuits.”

“ _Nyx_.”

“Or soup. You can’t fuck up soup-” A sharp tug on one braid had Nyx sitting up with a yelp. He turned to gripe at Cor only to find the other man very much in his personal space, his eyes dark in the low light of the kitchen. The hand that had done the tugging slipped behind his head, holding the back of his skull.

He wasn’t sure who moved first, he just remembering being keenly aware of warm breath brushing across his mouth and then a warmer mouth on his. He had a clearer idea of why Libertus had told him there was no such thing as a ‘Platonic Relationship’ with the other half of one’s soul. Touching was one thing, kissing was entirely different. Nyx lost himself in it, let his mind just fuck right off while he sank into Cor’s mouth. It sent waves of warmth rolling under his skin and set off little explosions behind his eyes. He was literally seeing stars, he thought with some amusement before just letting go, sinking into a pool of warmth, and being completely okay with whatever the fuck happened next because he was finally _whole_.

Cor’s shuddering breath brought him back to the surface. The Marshal’s forehead was pressed against his, eyes half lidded and fingers tunneled into his hair. Nyx’s hands were bunched in the front of his shirt and it seemed at some point he’d wedged himself up between Cro’s thighs because he was definitely not sitting on his stool anymore. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his fogged brain. He was crowding Cor, but the other man’s grip on him hadn’t loosened in the slightest.

Nyx tugged backwards carefully, releasing his grip on Cor’s shirt. “Sorr-”

Cor kissed him this time, ignoring the way he started to pull away in favor of pulling him closer. HIs mouth was still warm, almost soft. “Shut up.” The words ghosted across Nyx’s lips and he had to bite down on his lower lip to keep from smiling at him.

“Yes sir.”

* * *

Nyx was disgustingly pleased with himself. He was carefully tucked up against Cor’s side, sitting on a couch in the bar that was backed up against the wall watching Crowe and Libertus bicker. They’d started playing a game Crowe said the Glaives in the barracks played a lot. You drew cards from a box and picked one of the three things listed on it to draw. Whoever guessed it, went next. He and Cor were just enjoying watching Libertus shout out everything that came to mind.

Cor had also, ever so casually slipped his arm around Nyx’s waist, his thumb tucked into the pocket at his hip. He didn’t think Crowe or Libertus had noticed the movement, too busy arguing over the proportions of an Anak Calf.

He smiled, watching the two then lifted a hand to stifle a yawn. It was getting late, the sun would be rising soon and he absently wondered if Cor had to go to work in the morning. It sent an immediate pang of guilt through him because the other man hadn’t slept yet despite coming in from a mission only hours ago.

“If you’re tired,” Cor murmured so close to his ear it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. “We can go to bed.”

That statement was edging into dangerous territory, Nyx thought incredulously. If they went upstairs together, Crowe and Libertus would be leering at them the whole way and he would never hear the end of it from Lib. The man would pass his final breath teasing him.

“You are just asking for trouble if you follow me up to my room,” Nyx murmured, pointedly looking at Crowe and Lib.

The Marshal gave him that crooked half-smirk. “Oh? I might like trouble.”

Nyx was perfectly certain his face looked like a tomato when he stood up, sputtering and quickly exiting the bar to head upstairs. He missed the odd look Libertus shot his way and the thumbs up Crowe gave Cor.

Cor found him hiding under his covers with the lights off and the window open to let the breeze in. There was some shuffling on Cor’s part until Nyx peeked his head out from under the blankets to glance over at the older man, frown tugging the corners of his mouth downward. “Are you getting in?”

“Am I allowed?” Cor sounded almost sheepish from where he stood at the corner of the bed, a stray beam of moonlight hitting him from his hip down.

Nyx rolled his eyes and tossed the covers back before going back to hiding his face into his pillow. He felt the bed dip and put every ounce of concentration he had into making sure he didn’t jump, especially when Cor nudged up against his side, laying on his back. Nyx breathed in slow, trying to slow his racing thud of his heart and willed himself towards sleep, wondering silently if Cor would still be there when he woke later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ༼ : ౦ ‸ ౦ : ༽ -sweats-


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note. Cor is 6'3". As far as I could tell, there's no official height for Nyx listed (that I could find?) So I used an image of him standing next to Noctis who's 5'9" and placed him around 5'11". Then I did a whole lot of comparing and lord knows I didn't know you could research height difference so much. From what I found though, Nyx would be in the general shoulder/throat range of Cor standing up straight. So.. Cor is a Tall Boi.

# Chapter 9

Nyx woke in a tangle of limbs that weren’t all his.

He was a bit confused at first, his face pressed into something warm, arms wrapped around something other than a pillow, and his legs criss-crossed with something that felt like other legs. He blinked sleepily, lifting his head a little and sniffed. There was grit in his eyes and he was buried under blankets, but as the sheet slid back off his head, he found himself staring at the rather peacefully sleeping face of one Cor Leonis.

He blinked again and realized he’d had his face buried into Cor’s chest, the other man having turned onto his side at some point and basically curled himself inward and around Nyx. Which Nyx already knew he was a cuddle fiend. Libertus had told him when they were kids he was like a cat. He’d search out the warmest thing nearby and shove himself up against it. The fact Cor seemed to have done something similar was endlessly amusing.

The shadow’s under Cor’s eyes however, were not.

Nyx rested his head back down against his pillow, letting his eyelids lower slightly so he could peer up at Cor through his eyelashes. At least if Cor woke up he wouldn’t be caught staring at his face while he slept.

The rest of the house was completely silent, which meant Libertus and Crowe were still sleeping. If he was careful he could slip free and make his way to the kitchen. Cor had said he’d make breakfast, but Nyx would honestly rather the man sleep. It was his job to do whatever the King asked, Nyx knew that. But if King Regis was going to run the poor man ragged, Nyx wanted to meet him just so he could tell him to fuck off.

Being as careful as he possibly could, Nyx went about the task of detangling himself from Cor’s hold, easing his legs out from under the others. He was carefully extracting himself from Cor’s arms when they tightened and drew him up closer to the Marshal’s chest. He gave a little subdued yelp, trying to be quiet then peered up at Cor’s face when he felt the low chuckle rise in his chest.

“Good morning,” Cor murmured, still sleepy and watching Nyx with a half-lidded gaze. “Trying to escape?”

“I was going to start breakfast,” Nyx murmured, giving up on hiding the heat that was rising in his face from being caught.

“Mmm. That’s my job this morning.”

“You’re tired and need to sleep.” Nyx tried again to wiggle free but Cor didn’t ease his grip and instead lowered his head until his nose was buried against the crown of Nyx’s head.

Nyx waited to see if he’d move, but Cor seemed content just to be tangled around him again. “If we wait around too long,” Nyx murmured, giving up on actually escaping and giving in to the urge to snuggle up closer to Cor. “Crowe will make breakfast and her bacon is _really_ bad.”

“Mmm,” Cor murmured against the crown of his head. “I’ll make you better bacon.”

It was kinda cute, Cor being sleepy. It was also something rather new to see him so relaxed. Nyx never said anything, because it was just part of who Cor was, but even when he was sitting at the bar, back pushed against the wall he was watching _everything_. That night sitting on the couch with him listening to Crowe and Lib argue, he’d been watching them but at the same time his gaze would slide to the door, to a dark corner, to the door of the kitchen. He was always checking and double checking, like he thought someone might appear. Looking up at him now, just barely able to see a sliver of blue under his lashes…

It was nice.

“Deal,” he finally murmured to Cor, who made a sleepy sound in response as Nyx relaxed back into him. A little bit more sleep wouldn’t hurt.

* * *

He couldn’t _breathe_.

Smoke, thick and black clung to the air, choking him as he rolled to the side and hit the floor. Nyx scrambled around on the ground, eyes darting around in the darkness. Something that sounded like an explosion went off nearby and he could hear screams from the window. Keeping low to the ground, he dug his feet into the floor and propelled himself forward.

Smoke clogged his eyes, nose and mouth, making it hard to breath and see as he struggled across the floor until he found the doorway.

The fucking house was on _fire_.

Panic rode him hard, gripping at his throat. He lunged for the first door he saw, but was met with heat when he touched it. Snarling in pain, he jerked his hand back and shifted his weight on his feet, slamming his foot into the wood. The door latch splintered and gave, smoke thick and as black as death billowed out. 

He tried to speak but choked on heat and ash. Fire was licking at the walls of the room, but he didn’t see Libertus, Crowe or Cor-

Selena was sitting on the bed, staring at him, ash on her face and skin burned black. She stared at him then gave him that crooked little smile of her’s she’d used to give him when he got in trouble.

“You’re going to lose him too, you know. You can only save yourself.”

Nyx opened his mouth.

The explosion went off by the wall, shattering it and blowing bits of debris into the room like shrapnel. Brick, wood and glass sliced through the air, smoke billowed up in front of him.

“Selen-!”

Nyx sat bolt upright in the bed, heart racing, gasping for air and staring straight ahead. “-ah…” His eyes roved the room, searching frantically as his mind destroyed itself in a panic. Fire. There had been fucking _fire_. He could still feel the burn of ash in his throat, it felt hard to breathe in, like his lungs were full of something. He wheezed on the intake, and nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand landed on the nape of his neck. Panicking, he nearly jerked himself off the bed as he turned, teeth clenched in a snarl that died in his throat.

“Easy.”

Cor. It was Cor.

Nyx felt his heart stutter in his chest, skipping a beat in its frantic drumming. He turned to look back around the room because it had been on fire just seconds ago and it had been _real_. He felt the slide of sweat down his temple, the hair at the back of his neck stuck there. It had to have been real, because the only other option was he was fucking crazy.

He glanced down at his hands, then around the room again. The window was still open, the sun was out. The air was clear. 

No smoke. 

No fire.

Bringing his hands up, he scrubbed his face and left them there. Metal had burned his hand, glass and wood had stabbed into his skin. He could still feel the sting of each, but it was fading. Too vivid. Even his nightmares about Galahd had never been like that.

Fingers eased into the hair at the back of his neck and Nyx tensed, his brain still kicking in fight or flight mode like it still thought the house might combust at any second. Cor seemed to freeze when he felt Nyx tense but when Nyx didn’t move, he started massaging there carefully.

“Its okay.”

It _wasn’t_ okay because there had been smoke in the air and fire all around and…

“ _Fuck._ ” He breathed in and out slow, trying to ease out of the panic, then gave up and leaned forward to bury his face against his sheet covered knees.

Cor was silent, and that was honestly what Nyx needed as he dismantled and reconfigured his brain. There was no fire. There was no smoke. He breathed in, didn’t wheeze, and breathed out. Bit by bit, he unwound the cords of panic that had snared him until he could breathe properly and think for himself again.

“Sorry,” he murmured as he lifted his head finally, glancing towards Cor who was watching him quietly with some kind of guarded look, like thought he might try to lash out again. He slid his eyes away from Cor’s face and paused when he noticed the katana on the bed. “Why,” Nyx frowned. “Is there a sword on the bed?”

Cor made a huffing sound as he reached up and picked up the weapon. It turned blue in his hand then shattered, disappearing. “You wake up out of a deadass sleep with someone thrashing beside you,” Cor groused. “I thought you were being attacked.”

Nyx sighed, but didn’t respond to the snark that colored Cor’s voice. “Nightmare.” He paused and glanced away because he felt childish for having to admit he’d had a bad dream and had woken in a sheer panic. “Sorry.” There was a gentle tug on his braid, but Nyx refused to turn his gaze towards Cor. Not until he decided to give a sharper one that made him yelp. “Hey-”

Soft lips brushed the corner of his mouth and then Cor was out of the bed and walking towards the stairs. “Breakfast is in twenty.”

He just sat there and watched Cor turn the corner because his brain was still kinda on the verge of panic despite him trying to calm it down and Cor was definitely not helping him out with that _at all_.

* * *

Showers.

Showers made a lot of things better. Nyx leaned his head against the tile, letting the water spray wash away images from the dream and the steam clear his mind. It had seemed to real and that was what was scaring him the most.

Stepping out of the shower and toweling his body and hair dry, Nyx changed and headed downstairs to see if Crowe had allowed Cor to cook. He wasn’t surprised when he found the two facing off in the kitchen a few minutes later. Libertus was peering around the door and waved Nyx over as he approached. Inside the kitchen, Crowe had her hands on her hips, shoulders squared and stance wide, her chin held up defiantly. Cor had his arms cross over his chest and a hip pressed against the counter, looking down at her because he was at least a good head taller than Crowe. He struck a rather formidable figure despite standing there in a pair of loose fitted lounge pants and a worn out themed t-shirt.

“Winning bets?” Nyx asked Lib as he leaned against the doorframe, watching the two glare at one another.

Libertus snorted. “If your boyfriend kills my girlfriend, I’m going to strangle you.”

Nyx started to argue but stopped himself because… Well shit, he’d just woken up in a tangle of limbs with Cor earlier, so he wasn’t really sure he could argue with Lib about it anymore. “Shall I defuse the situation?”

The look Lib gave him was dubious, as if he didn’t believe he could. Nyx took it as a challenge and seeing as he was vaguely aware of how to get the daggers in Cor’s eyes off Crowe, he was feeling generous. “You owe me,” Nyx stated bluntly.

Another snort, but Libertus glanced towards Crowe nervously because she was switching weight on her feet and this shakedown was about to get serious. “Deal dude, just get him out of the kitchen _please_.”

Nyx took a deep breath and steeled his nerves because he wasn’t all that positive of the reaction he was about to get but he had a feeling it would definitely get one. Cranky Cor was _weird_.

“Cor.” Nyx waited, but the other man didn’t move though he saw Crowe flick her eyes in his direction. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been heard, Cor was just ignoring him. 

_Alright then._

“I’ll give you a kiss if you stop glaring daggers at Crowe,” Nyx continued casually. Beside him Libertus sputtered. Cor on the other hand, went ramrod straight. He turned slightly and peered at Nyx who answered the stare with a sheepish little grin. “If you don’t like it,” he continued as Cor pivoted his body around and started towards him. “You can return it.”

“So bad,” Libertus groaned then scuttled away from the door as Cor crowded it and looked down at Nyx. He managed to make it inside the kitchen and start dragging Crowe off who was still grumpily glaring at Cor.

Part of him felt kind of small under Cor’s gaze, Nyx realized as he stared up at him. He also felt like a complete idiot because he’d just used one of what Libertus had decreed his ‘bad pick-up lines’. But if nothing else, it had gotten Cor’s attention because those blue eyes were locked on his face and he wasn’t looking away.

“You’re grumpy in the morning.”

One of Cor’s eyebrows shot up towards his hairline. “And you talk big with no payout.”

Sputtering, Nyx glared. “You’re too tall,” because Cor _was_ tall, the asshole. A full head taller than Nyx.

Cor was a grumpy, cranky asshole in the morning, Nyx decided as Cor leaned down slightly so they were eye level. Nyx, for what it was worth, leaned in and brushed his lips across Cor’s cheek then backed away and glanced off to the side because this was awkward and he wasn’t quite sure what the hell he was doing anymore.

“Hm.” Cor was still staring at him. “I didn’t like it.”

Nyx turned back to face him. “Wha-” His back hit the door jam, knocking the air out of him a bit as Cor’s mouth sealed over his. This kiss, Nyx realized as he knotted his hands in Cor’s shirt, was a lot different than the one in the kitchen before. There was a bit of desperation in it, the way Cor was pushing him up against the wall and was tangling his hands in his hair. Nyx was perfectly ok with that because Cor was biting his bottom lip and the world was going fuzzy around the edges and dissolving. A tongue brushed against the gate of his teeth and Nyx opened up, letting the warmth of it slide into his mouth because dealing with a cranky Cor might be hell, but kissing him was pure heaven and Nyx didn’t think he wanted to trade in his halo just yet.

Nyx broke away first, if only because his lungs were burning and he wasn’t sure if Cor was aware of the dark spots gathering in his vision. He breathed in slow, ragged breaths, pressing his forehead against Cor’s and closed his eyes. When he was finally able, he laughed.

“That was some breakfast.”

* * *

Breakfast was postponed because Cor had to get ready for work. An adventure he didn’t seem all that happy with but went through with anyway. Nyx was calling shenanigans because Libertus had made his way back to the bar after Cor had left and had _not_ teased him mercilessly, and had instead avoided the whole thing all together, talking instead about a Triple Triad Championship that was going on.

Nyx feigned interest in it until his phone buzzed, nearly launching Nyx off the couch. He peered at it curiously because the only person that texted him during the day was usually Libertus and the other man was sitting across from him staring at him curiously.

The screen lit up with a game sprite version of a Chocobo carrying a letter in its mouth. He tapped on the screen and stared for a moment. “Huh.”

“What is it?” Lib leaned over the arm of his chair, watching Nyx’s face curiously since his eyebrows were pulled down in the beginnings of a frown. “Cor gotta go out on a mission again?”

“No…” He let the frown pull the corners of his mouth down. “He wants me to come to the Citadel.”

“Weird.”

It was. Usually Nyx stayed clear of the place. Too many of the Kingsglaive and Crownsguard around, not to mention the rest of the governing body of Insomnia. They probably wouldn’t even let someone like him within spitting range of the stairs. He sat back and pressed his fingers along the keys.

**[You sure?]**

He waited, watching as three little dots appeared on the screen showing Cor was writing back and wondered absently what was so important that he needed him to come into the most imposing building in the entire city.

**[Yes]** the reply read. **[Give your name at the gate, they’ll bring you to where you need to go.]**

Libertus’ eyes narrowed. “I feel like you should be worried.”

“It’s Cor… I trust him.”

“I know that,” Lib murmured with a dramatic eye roll. “It’s the Citadel part I don’t trust.”

“Guess I’ll find out,” Nyx murmured as he got up. He didn’t think he could get away with ripped jeans and a t-shirt that had ‘Chocobo Screamers’ smeared across the front, but then again Cor had been wearing his shirts to work.

And not returning them.

His eyes narrowed as he went to get dressed.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to read this one first. Side Quest Unlocked: [Cor] Will be up in a moment. (I didn't repeat too much information in this one this time, you'll be seeing more of his POV than his conversation with Nyx).

# Chapter 10

Nyx was very on edge. His brain was going close to melt down because he was _pretty fucking sure_ Cor had _not_ in fact, asked him to come to the Citadel. Unless Cor was way more than a Marshal and had a really nice big office with a huge oak desk, large plush chair and a _fucking painting of the King, Queen and Prince_ hanging on the wall behind it.

He sat ramrod straight, because he refused to slouch even in the presence of the King’s image. But he couldn’t help the nervous twitching he started doing. At first it was just picking at his fingernails, then it move to twisting his fingers around each other as his eyes roved around the rather luxurious study. His knees started to wobble next, his foot bouncing. He started to rock to-and-fro but that quickly stopped when the door opened and a man dressed in black walked in. His guards hovered at the door for a moment before another man, with cropped white hair followed him in. The first man walked with a cane and a knee brace, and looked a hell of a lot like the man in the painting, if maybe a few years older.

Nyx stood because _it was the fucking King_ , and tried not to panic.

“It’s quite alright,” the King murmured with a pleasant smile. “There’s no need to be so formal.”

Nyx, in all his roughneck ways, was at a loss. So he did the one thing he always did when put on the spot and having a panic attack.

“Has anyone ever told you, sir,” he started slowly. “That you look remarkably like the King?” It was a horrible, stupid joke; and Nyx tried to smile but felt it waver around the edges because he was in full blown panic mode and didn’t know if he could survive jumping out of the large window on the opposite side of the room.

Regis, in all his Kingly glory, stared at Nyx for a moment then blinked. “Well, no. No, I don’t believe anyone has.”

“You could be brothers.” Nyx was really wishing his nervous habit of being a fucking _idiot_ would stop.

The King however, burst into laughter, the action lighting up his face as he moved to take a seat. “Forgive me,” he told Nyx as he sat. “I know I drug you all the way here without any warning.”

Nyx didn’t sit back down again because the other man was still standing, taking up a spot behind the King’s chair. He did sit, however, when the King motioned for him to do so.

“Er… if I may,” Nyx ventured carefully, because this man had the power to throw him out of Insomnia and Nyx very much did not wish to have to find a new home. “Is Cor.. not here?” He watched as the King’s face fell slightly and felt something like a hole open in the pit of his stomach. He took a slow, shaky breath. “Did… Did something happen, your Majesty?”

The man standing by the King’s side blinked then struck the King gently on the back of the head, which would have shocked Nyx if he wasn’t floundering in panic. “Regis, you’re scaring the poor man,” he hissed, glaring down at him.

The King, for what it was worth blinked and started laughing. “Oh! No, no! I’m sorry!” He leaned forward and placed his arms on his desk. “Leonis won’t be joining us. He actually doesn’t know about this little meeting.”

Nyx frowned. “But he was the one that texted me.” The slow, sly look the King was giving him was starting to scare the shit out of him. “That message wasn’t from him, I gather.”

“I stole his phone,” the King admitted, seemingly rather pleased with himself.

A thousand questions crowded into Nyx’s throat at once, because none of this made any kind of gods damn sense. “I… um…” he struggled with himself and then frowned because his brain couldn’t find an eloquent way to put the question. “What the hell for?”

Regis was staring at him intently, watching his face and when the question fell from his lips, he sat back, seemingly completely satisfied. “I wanted to meet you.”

Cor did not speak of the King. Nyx knew the man loved him, because he stood by him no matter what. But as a general rule, the King was never spoken of between them. It seemed that his existence would be treated the same here, never uttered around the King. But Regis knew about him.

Well, maybe knew about him.

Nyx regarded him warily because he knew the look he was being given. It was the look of someone who’d dipped the ladle into the soup and gotten away with it. “Ah, well your Majesty, I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’m just a poor Galahdian that works at a bar,” Nyx murmured, keeping himself very still in the chair.

The man behind the King’s chair started chuckling. “Oh, you’re quite a bit more than that, lad.”

Nyx quietly judged the distance between his chair and the door. Wondering just how fast he could escape. “I don’t know what you mean, sir.” The man grinned at him, a wolfish smile of someone who knew more than Nyx wanted them to.

“I asked nicely,” Regis was saying, just as Nyx’s back pocket buzzed. He didn’t move to get it, and neither man seemed to have heard it. “I’ve known Cor for years, and I really just wanted to meet you and have tea.” Regis shrugged. “Clarus agreed with me.”

Clarus. The Shield of the King. Nyx had thought the man looked familiar, but his clothes were different and his hair had gone white with age.

His phone buzzed again.

“Ah, well it was very nice to meet you both,” Nyx said, putting on his most pleasant smile while his heart jackhammered inside his chest because he was fucking terrified. He was trying to make a smooth exit, keep from ruffling any feathers, but the King had other ideas.

“Oh good, the tea is here.” He smiled at the retainer that set it on the edge of his desk then bowed their way out. “Here.” He offered Nyx a cup, who took it gingerly and wished he could disappear into the floor. “So, why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?”

Music blared from Nyx’s pocket, making him jump. His face flushed as he glanced at the King, apologizing before he reached back and retrieved his phone from his pocket. Cor’s name blazed across the front in bright white letters. He waited for a moment, glancing at the King who just smiled and nodded before turning to have a conversation with his Shield.

Nyx swiped his thumb over the screen to answer.

“Where the fuck are you?”

“ _Help me!_ ” Nyx hissed softly into the mouth piece before laughing. “Ah, you caught me at a bad time. I’m in a meeting.”

Cor was silent for a moment. “What are you talking about?”

Why was Cor so stupid? Nyx wanted to break his neck. “Oh you want to meet outside the _Citadel_? Yeah, I can. Just ya know, give me a few more minutes, we can swing by my _office_.”

There was silence on the other side of the line, and then something that sounded like a fucking _snarl_ ripped through Nyx’s ear and the line went dead. Regis was looking at him curiously, and he gave him his most prize winning smile. “Business partner wants to meet up for lunch.” He lied. He was lying _to the fucking King._ Was that like lying to the Gods? Was he going to hell? But then he remembered the dark circles under Cor’s eyes that morning, and how he’d slept so peacefully and stopped caring that he’d lied to the King of Lucis.

Regis chuckled softly. “I rather like you,” he admitted with a smile. “I’ll be honest, we always pictured Cor’s match to be rough around the edges. Full of spite to match his own.”

“Well I am Galahdian, sir,” Nyx responded with a smile. It wavered at the corners, not truly staying in place because he was getting too close to the truth of it. “We’re… we were all a little rough around the edges.”

The King’s face fell immediately. “I’m sorry,” he said after a moment. “About what happened in Galahd. Had I known they would attack there and not give the people a chance…” he trailed off and Nyx found himself… Touched. The King seemed genuinely upset, which was a far cry from the slurs thrown his way on the odd occasion he ventured out of the Galahdian Quarter.

“Thank you,” Nyx said, and meant it. “That’s… That is more than I would have thought I’d get.” He gave a little smile despite the furrow of the King’s brow.

Regis seemed ready to say something, but there was a commotion in the hallway that gave him pause. He leaned slightly, eyeing the door behind Nyx. “I believe,” he told Clarus, amusement coloring his tone. “We have been found out.”

Nyx jumped when the door practically slammed open. He tried to turn in the chair to look back, but suddenly he had arms wrapped around him and he and the chair were being pulled backwards. He tilted his head back, clutching at the arms of the chair. He was able to see the lower half of Cor’s face somewhat, and had to wonder how the King and Shield weren’t cringing away.

Cor’s jaw was clenched tight, his lips pulled back in a soundless snarl as he held Nyx back against him. His eyes were boring into Regis like he thought he could set him on fire with just a look. The possessiveness in the hold he had on Nyx was doing all kinds a weird things to him, but he kept his head level, trying to figure out how to defuse the situation. He hadn’t really expected Cor to come barging in, snarling like a coeurl protecting his territory.

Though now that he thought about it, he probably should have.

“Cor,” he said softly and earned himself a glance. Cor’s jaw loosened just a bit before he turned his eyes back on Regis, and all that tension was back. “Cor, it’s okay. We were just talking.”

Cor wasn’t having it.

“What the _fuck_ Regis. I told you _no_ ,” the Marshal snarled.

Regis didn’t have a care in the world. “He came of his own free will. Right Nyx?”

Cor shot him a look as if asking if that were true. It was so utterly unfair the way he’d just been tossed into the conversation. A scapegoat for the king. If he’d come willingly, Cor couldn’t be mad at the King, but he would be mad at _him_. But, the King also wasn’t lying. Nyx _had_ come to the Citadel willingly, though only because he’d thought Cor had asked him.

“Nyx?” The question came from Cor. He’d subdued the snarl, but it was still there, not directed at him, but still a low, steady rumble in the back of his throat.

“I got a text,” Nyx admitted because he wasn’t lying to Cor. He’d never lie to him. “It asked me to come to the Citadel. I thought it was you.”

Cor frowned at him. “I didn’t.”

“Yes, I realize that _now_ ,” Nyx huffed. “But it was from your phone, so I thought it was.”

Cor went very still, his gaze slowly turning towards where Regis sat sipping his tea.

“I like your soulmate,” Regis told him with a smile that could win a war. “You should bring him by more after you stop being so clingy.”

Nyx opened his mouth to say something but it ended up turning into a squeak as Cor pulled him out of the chair. He scrambled to get his feet under him, only for Cor to hook his arm under the back of his knees and lift him up. Surprised, Nyx wrapped his arms around his neck and stared up at him. “Cor?”

“Say goodbye, Nyx,” Cor murmured, his mouth set in a thin line, his eyes glaring towards the King.

Nyx hesitated and then turned to look towards the King and his Shield. “Thank you for the tea.”

Regis smiled. “Feel free to come back.”

Cor backed away, still facing Regis as he pushed open the door and somehow at the same time managed to double barrel his middle fingers towards the King. Nyx looked up at Cor to reprimand him for the action towards the fucking _King of Lucis_ and caught him mouthing ‘MINE’ at Regis, who was quickly dissolving into a fit of laughter in his study as the door closed.

Nyx’s feet weren’t allowed to touch the ground, despite all the odd looks and whispers the two of them got, until they reached the elevator. They waited for it, watching the numbers change on the panel above it. When it arrived, Nyx was relieved no one was in it and stepped on. He hated elevators. Hated them even more when there were multiple people on them. Cor stepped on behind him, waited for the metal box to drop down a few floors before he turned and rammed his fist into the emergency stop.

The elevator jerked, making Nyx panic slightly as he grabbed the bars of the corner he’d wedged himself into, clinging to them. Then Cor was in his space, boxing him into the corner with his hands on either side of his head staring him dead in the eye. “Are you okay?” he asked, which seemed completely at odds with the position they were in. “He didn’t do anything, did he?” He frowned after he asked the question, glancing to the side. “Its Regis, he wouldn’t do anything.” The statement seemed more for himself than for Nyx so he didn’t bother answering, just stared up at Cor warily.

“While I’m happy you were worried about me,” Nyx started slowly, regaining Cor’s stare. “Did you need to stop the elevator for this conversation?”

“No one was at the bar,” Cor murmured, Nyx able to feel him rolling one of the beads in his hair between his fingers. “It was dark and no one was there. I thought something had happened.”

Nyx blinked and then started laughing softly. “You thought I’d left?” he murmured and jumped slightly when Cor buried his face into the juncture of his neck and nodded, his hands going to his waist and holding onto him, fingers hooked in the belt loops. Slowly, Nyx lifted his hand and ran his fingers through Cor’s hair, pushing up along the back of his skull and rubbing there gently. “I’m not going anywhere, Cor. Not without you. I promise.”

Cor made a muffled sound in the back of his throat and kept Nyx crowded in the corner. He sighed and rested his nose on the side of Cor’s head, letting Cor have his moment because honestly, he could understand. Sympathized better than most others ever would or could.

Anything and anyone could be ripped away from you at a moments notice and you could go days without knowing, and a lifetime regretting.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first official fluff chapter.  
> I made a promise that I was going to dedicate at least one fluff chapter to each person that regularly comments on this thing. So Septembre_Rain, verygruntled, Silver Magiccraft, and Eussoros, thank you. I appreciate you guys more than you’ll ever know.
> 
> (These will likely be spaced out, and possibly even only from Cor’s view over on Side Quest, but I’ll list your name there. <3)
> 
> This one is for Septembre_Rain. C:
> 
> (note, anything in _”[italic brackets]”_ is translated spoken Galahdian. It is based off Scottish and Irish Gaelic.)  
> (note 2: there may be a few spelling errors and such in this cause I wanted to post it before I left for work. I'll fix them when I get home. Sorry about that!)

# Chapter 11

Nyx was sitting on the bar while a frowning Cor was staring at him, eyes narrowed. He very carefully sounded the word out that had both Crowe and Libertus laughing in the background. Cor’s frown only deepend. Then he tried to mimic Nyx and the younger man nearly rolled off the bartop.

“This is frustrating,” Cor grumbled, rubbing his chin.

“You’re the one that wants to call _The King_ an asshole without him knowing it,” Nyx pointed out then laughed again when Cor shot him a glare.

“I am perfectly capable of calling him an asshole to his face,” Cor reminded him somewhat smugly. “I’d like a way to call him one when we’re in public as well.”

Libertus snorted from behind the counter. “And earn respect points with any Galahdian’s that hear it.” He grinned crookedly. “Everyone in the Kingsglaive will collectively choke and announce him as their leader.”

“Don’t give him idea,” Nyx groaned, rubbing his face. “Why don’t we try this one?” Slowly and carefully, Nyx sounded out the phrase. “ _Cúl Tóna_.”

“ _[Dickhead]?_ ”

“There you go,” Nyx laughed then grinned. “That’s ‘Dickhead’,” Nyx laughed because honestly who wouldn’t enjoy this? He was teaching Cor to cuss in Galahdian just so he could be rude. It was oddly satisfying.

“Nyx,” Libertus called out as he finished laughing. “Teach him _‘Gabh Síos Ort Fhéin’_ ,” then he started laughing again.

Cor was looking over at Libertus, and while he was completely straight faced, he was soaking up every word like a sponge. “What did he say?” he murmured and glanced at Nyx for a translation.

Nyx wrinkled his nose up and laughed. “There aren’t many words for certain swears in Galahdian,” he tried to explain. “I mean we have ‘dickhead’ and ‘bastard’ but for the most part the rest of them don’t really… exist? The meaning does though. _‘Gabh Síos Ort Fhéin’_ basically mean’s ‘Go fuck yourself’.”

To his credit, Cor tried to pronounce the phrase then gave up. “It’s honestly easier just to say it,” he grumbled and frowned more when the three Galahdian’s laughed at him.

“We grew up on this, so it’s easier,” Crowe grinned. 

“I learned a few in Lucian when we were kids. Remember Nyx?” Lib asked, laughing.

“And got grounded for the effort, if I remember right.”

“Not my fault your grandma knew Lucian.”

Nyx grinned before sliding off the bar, turning his full attention on Cor who’d been sitting there listening to them tease each other. He smiled when he noticed the older man straighten a bit as Nyx moved closer. “Enough vocabulary lessons,” he announced, hands landing on his hips. “I have a question for you.”

Cor eyed him warily, one eyebrow raising slowly. He waited but was forced to speak when Nyx just continued to stare at him. “Yes?” The smile it earned him was worth the small annoyance.

* * *

Nyx watched Cor as he walked around Wiz’s place. He hadn’t approached the stable yet, but he kept glancing that way. Nyx was up by the building, leaning against one of the wooden posts and waiting for the food he’d ordered. He was giving Cor a moment to be more accepting of his idea. He had after all, drug the other man out here without really explaining. He’d just asked if they could go for a ‘little drive’ and here they were at Wiz’s Chocobo Post.

Cor hadn’t been _against_ the idea, but he’d also been leery. Then again, this was the man that fucking _walked_ everywhere. It had taken them a whole day to drive out to Duscae, which had peaked Cor’s interest in whatever Nyx was dragging him into. They’d camped in the RV Wiz had off to the side of the post and gotten up early enough to explore and get breakfast.

Taking the cups of coffee as they were offered to him by the clerk, Nyx walked down to where Cor had edged closer to the stabled chocobos. He was giving them sideways glances, watching them curiously while feigning interest in a conversation Wiz was having with him.

“Not often we get Crownsguard out this way,” Wiz was saying as Nyx walked up, offering the cup to Cor. “Ya’ll out here on business?”

Nyx grinned and casually bumped up against Cor. He would have thrown his arm around the man’s shoulders but he was _too fucking tall_ , something Nyx was going to gripe about until they were both dead. “Day trip!” he chirped happily. “My friend here has never ridden a chocobo before.”

Wiz looked at Cor in wonder. “Never?”

“Never,” Nyx replied solemnly, nodding his head sagely while Cor grunted and seemed to try and disappear on the spot.

“Well then, I’ll saddle two up!” And off Wiz went.

Cor looked ready to die. “Are you positive about his?”

“They aren’t going to hurt you,” Nyx laughed and took a sip of his coffee. “Next time you’re out this far without a car you could rent one to get back home.”

Cor wrinkled his nose slightly and glanced at him. “Walking is fine.”

“If you walk back home because someone stole your car, I will punch you in the jaw,” he murmured then took another sip of coffee, averting his gaze so he couldn’t see the flash of teeth when Cor grinned slightly at him. “Besides, chocobos are cute. I like them.”

“I couldn’t tell, what with all the chocobo shirts I have steadily piling up in my closet.”

Nyx turned to stare at him then, even as Cor lifted his cup to hide his smirk. “I expect those back, you know.”

“Hm. I wonder how you’ll get them.”

For his part, Nyx kept his sputtering at a minimum. “Are you hoarding my clothes?”

“You might need something to wear one day.”

Nyx started to argue then stopped, staring at him for a moment before turning and walking off. He wasn’t going to comment on the fact that Cor was basically hinting at him staying at his apartment. Sure the thought had crossed his mind, Cor had stayed at the bar a few times at this point. And sure they’d spent the night here at the camp, but Nyx had been tired and passed out as soon as he’d touched the bed. The thought of being _utterly alone_ with Cor was a bit... He shook his head and went to see if Wiz was actually saddling chocobos for them.

* * *

“It’s blue,” Nyx murmured in wonder as he stared at the chocobo standing before him. They were all blue, actually. The pen in which Wiz had his chocobos stabled were divided into a rainbow of colors, keeping like colors together. Nyx had been looking at the yellow ones that were closer to the main area, but Cor had called his attention further out to the pens.

“Got a wide range of ‘em,” Wiz said proudly. “Any color you can imagine, well except black. Those little buggers are rare. The last one I saw was years ago, though I know there’s at least one breedin’ pair out in the wild.”

“That’s… Sad,” Nyx murmured, frowning. “So how are these guys so many different colors?”

“We feed ‘em different foods. Pears, seeds, and different pits. Over time their feathers start changing color.” Wiz grinned. “They love ‘em and people like the different colors. Good for advertisin’ too. Wiz’s is the only place you can get all the different colors!”

Nyx shook his head and continued to eye all the different chocobos in wonder, watching Cor near the fence. He’d gotten brave and grabbed a gysahl green, holding it up to a broody seeming teal colored chocobo who stared at him then carefully plucked the green leaf from his hand. Then, to Nyx’s - and Cor’s - amazement, the bird lowered its head and nuzzled Cor’s chest. Cor stood stock still, arms out and staring straight ahead with this wide-eyed stare, like he was terrified to move least the bird decide to attack him. The thing started cooing though, nibbling on his shirt and then his hair.

“I think she likes ya!” Wiz called out and Cor looked back at Nyx with such a notable plea for help he almost felt bad. But he left him there, with the blue-green chocobo threading his hair through its beak like it was preening her chick.

He wasn’t jealous. He _totally_ wasn’t jealous.

* * *

Cor was having fun, Nyx realized as he watched the man turn the bird and start down the path they were following. He’d been so apprehensive of actually riding the birds at first that Nyx had almost called the whole adventure off. But then Cor had stared at him for a moment and just quietly climbed up onto the chocobo and sat there. After that, they had ridden around a course Wiz had set up for people to learn to ride. Two laps in and Cor had asked if they could actually rent the birds and travel. Nyx had agreed reluctantly, not sure if Cor was doing it because he wanted to or because he was there. He was glad he’d agreed. They’d started traveling through the forest shortly after leaving the Post and stumbled across a pair of wild chocobos that cooed and called out to their birds. The gentle ‘kweh’s’ had made Cor smile, something Nyx didn’t think he did enough of.

“Did you want to head back?” Nyx asked as they rounded a curve in the path, breaking out from the trees and into a wide field that overlooked the Duscae landscape. He could see all the way out, straight down to the Disc of Cauthess. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the horizon and into the crater. The crystal was already putting off its own glow, its energy a steady stream of light despite the coming darkness.

Cor was looking off to the side when Nyx asked his question, and didn’t seem to hear him, too busy taking in the landscape around him so Nyx settled himself on the back of his bird, letting it peck at the ground. “There’s a haven over there,” Cor murmured after a moment, nodding towards the hill and the glowing blue runes that covered it. “We could came for the night if you want.”

Nyx frowned slightly. “We don’t have any gear.” He hadn’t really expected to go camping, would have brought along a bed roll and a tent.

The little smirk Cor flashed him had his eyes narrowing. “A Crownsguard is always prepared,” he informed Nyx before shifting his weight and taking the chocobo towards the haven. Nyx shook his head and followed, letting his bird amble along behind Cor.

The birds settled in quickly, curling up together after Cor and Nyx dismounted. Nyx ruffled through the bag he’d brought along - Wiz had suggested it in case the birds got hungry, and Nyx had used it for picking berries earlier in their ride as well as two bottles of water - pulling out thing of greens for the birds to eat. Behind him, Cor was doing… something?

He turned in time to see Cor shift his hand and blue crystal form. When the crystal fell away, it left behind a bundle of fabric and poles. A tent. Nyx remembered the same light being around his katana when he drew it or dropped it. It just seemed to materialize from thin air. “Did you just summon a _tent_ from the armiger?” he murmured, curious.

Cor chuckled as he started putting the thing together. “It comes in handy. Got a fishing rod in there too, though I don’t fish often.” He pushed the poles together and started fixing the tent covering. “It’s really a single size tent, I use it on missions so…” he paused as he hit the bar to make it snap into place. “Not much room.”

“Eh,” Nyx shrugged, stroking the feathers on the birds’ heads. “I can sleep out here with these guys. They are warm.” He scratched his chocobo under its chin, only turning when he realized Cor had stopped putting the tent together. He found the other man staring at him hard. “What?”

“You are _not_ sleeping out here with the birds.”

Nyx arched his eyebrow. “You gonna make me get in the tent?”

“If I have to.”

Nyx grinned mischievously. “I’m gonna build a fire,” he announced and wandered off to gather a few sticks and leaves to get one started.

He returned half an hour later with an arm full of branches and a pocket full of leaves, arranging them carefully in the circle of stones that was already arranged in the center of the haven. Cor had gotten his tent up and was rolling out a sleeping bag when Nyx returned. The fire came to life under Nyx’s careful menstrations and the help of a hidden lighter tucked inside his sleeve. Once it was actually crackling, he sat back and stared as it glowed and wavered, eating away at the branches it had been fed.

When Cor came to join him, he dug around in his bag and produced a water bottle for him, to which Cor handed him a brick wrapped in foil.

“Is this a ration?” he murmured curious, turning the thing over. When Cor hummed acknowledgement to his question, Nyx laughed. “Crowe says these things taste like ass.”

“They aren’t the best,” Cor admitted. “But they’ll do.”

If he was honest, Nyx had wanted to try one anyway, so he opened the thing and tried to bite into the granola like bar of food. It tasted like powder and shit, crushed into a thin brick. “Yup, that’s gross.”

Cor chuckled softly. “I’m cooking, don’t worry.” He nodded behind him to a small table where a burner was heating a pot. “Stew.”

Nyx brightened then leaned back, letting his back hit the hard stone of the ground with a light thud. Above them, stars were peeking out from the dark blanket of the sky as the final rays of sunlight dipped past the horizon. The darker it got, the more stars appeared, washing across the sky in a wave of light. “When we were kids,” Nyx murmured, staring up at the sky. “Lib and I would go out to the Galahd River and lay on the banks and count stars.” He scrunched his nose a bit, and grinned sheepishly, a smile he gave when he’d been caught doing something. “Grandma always found us before we got to one-hundred.”

Cor chuckled and tilted his head back, looking up at the sky. “You can’t see them from the city. It’s nice out here.”

“Quiet too,” Nyx agreed, folding his hands over his stomach.

They sat there in silence for a bit, staring up at the sky and listening to the crackle of the fire and the soft sounds the chocobos made as they slept. When the pot started making sounds on the burner, Cor stood and walked over to it, returning a short time later with two bowls, one of which he held out for Nyx. He took it as he sat up, staring down at the stew and wondering how to approach the next subject he had in mind.

“Crowe’s been talking to Libertus,” he murmured and then shoveled a spoonful into his mouth, drawing out the silence a bit longer than needed. When Cor paused and glanced at him, Nyx continued, staring down at the bowl of soup in his hands. “About joining the Kingsglaive.” It didn’t take much to notice the way Cor stiffened slightly. He didn’t say anything, just grunted softly to show he’d heard before taking another bite. “Apparently,” Nyx continued after a moment and another spoonful of food. “They are hoping to take Galahd back from the Empire.”

“I had noticed,” Cor murmured. “That more and more refugees were signing up.” He twisted his spoon in the stew then glanced at Nyx. “Is he going to join?”

“I think so, yeah,” Nyx murmured then frowned slightly because the next part was the part he was dreading. He opened his mouth then closed it again, trying to figure out the best way to say it.

“He wants you to come too.”

Nyx looked over at Cor, who’d put his stew down and was laying on his back, looking up at the sky. “Yeah.”

“Do you want to?”

Nyx hadn’t been expecting that. He blinked, stared at Cor for a moment then shrugged. “I’d be helping I guess. And if Lib and I ever truly wanted to go back that would be our foot in the door. Galahd abandoned us because we left.”

“But you haven’t abandoned Galahd.”

He grinned to keep from snarling. “Yeah, we never did.” He sat his bowl to the side. “What do you think I should do?”

“What about the bar?” Cor asked instead, avoiding the question.

Nyx shrugged a bit. “If we join, we’ll still open at night, when weren’t not busy.”

There was a long silence. Cor stared at the sky and Nyx gazed into the flickering flames of the fire. Somewhere out in the distance, he could hear a beast hiss as it stalked its meal for the night.

“I can’t tell you,” Cor murmured finally. “What you should and shouldn’t do. In the end, it is up to you.” He shifted and crossed his arms behind his head. Nyx’s shoulders slumped slightly, having hoped Cor would somehow make his decision easier. “What I can tell you,” Cor continued, glancing over at Nyx just in time for Nyx to look down at him, their eyes locking. “Is that no matter what you choose to do. I’ll support you.”

Nyx stared down at Cor for a long moment before he moved closer, leaning over him. He didn’t say anything, just watched the way Cor’s eyes shifted along his face, his pupils blooming out slightly when Nyx finally leaned down and kissed him; because there weren’t any words Nyx could say. Nothing he could say to truly convey what it meant to him to have Cor’s support. It didn’t matter if what he was doing might be stupid.

He squirmed until he’d moved closer to Cor, kissing him and not really caring if he seemed a little desperate, until he felt Cor grab his hips and realized he’d scrambled on top of the other man. He blinked down at Cor, panting and more than a bit embarrassed. Sitting up, he started to move only for Cor to move first. Nyx would have paid money to figure out how exactly Cor managed to regain his feet with Nyx sitting on top of him. Somehow the position ended up with him being carried _again_ and Cor very pointedly moving towards the tent.

“Oi-”

“I told you,” Cor interrupted, one eyebrow raised as he stuffed Nyx inside the tent. “You’re _not_ sleeping outside with the birds.”

“I was sleeping on _you_ , there’s a difference,” Nyx defended then burst out laughing when Cor pulled the sleeping bag over them both.

“Yes well,” Cor murmured then picked right back up where Nyx had left off, distracting him rather effectively.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut?  
> Yes|No


	12. Chapter 12*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut.  
> Pure and simple just smut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:  
> This is smut. Pure and simple. It has no plot goals with it, thus no need to be read if unwanted.  
> I have also _not written smut_ in like, four freaking years. So this is the first time I’ve gone full out (I’ve done some like hinted smut?). So if you don’t wanna see two guys fuckin’ around in a tent in the middle of Duscae, turn back now. :P
> 
> Also, again I would like to say thank you to the folks commenting on every single chapter of this thing. I get stressed out at work so much that most days. I write as a stress reliever. Getting comments on this, seeing people that actually _enjoy_ what I’m writing and giving me constant feedback. It makes me smile, and it helps so much more than you guys could ever know. So yes, again. _**Thank You**_.

# Chapter 12*

Nyx bit down on his lip and cursed softly. The rocky haven probably wasn’t the best place to do this, he’d probably realize that later when the bruises on his back finally made themselves known, but right now he didn’t give a _single fuck_ , not when Cor was casually grinding his hips into fine sand. The slow rotation was dragging the fabric of his clothes against him and it was slowly turning into torture.

Cor was shifting his weight, rubbing himself into Nyx’s thigh while casually dragging his shirt up bit by slow bit. Nyx grabbed his hips in an attempt to shift his own body closer, hissing softly when Cor pulled away. The older man just chuckled and leaned down, capturing his mouth.

Kissing Cor was probably his favorite thing because Cor kissed him like a drowning man who’d just found his new source of air. Nyx tangled his finger’s in short brown hair, and let Cor’s tongue invade his mouth. It was warm, slow and disgustingly languid. Cor was taking his time, exploring and Nyx was perfectly content to let him. He felt more than heard the tug at his belt as Cor carefully uncinched it from his waist. Nyx was half drunk on the taste of Cor’s mouth, a soft moan of displeasure leaving him when the older man pulled his mouth back. Nyx quickly forgot the complaint when Cor brushed his lips along his jaw then down along his throat, gliding his teeth over skin while a hand worked its way past the button and zipper of his pants.

Half hard and already rocking his hips, Nyx hissed a soft curse under his breath when Cor trailed his fingers along the shaft of his cock. Nyx nearly bit the inside of his cheek clean off, holding the moan back that threatened to rip his throat apart. He tilted his head back, stared up at the roof of the tent and tried desperately to control the urge to beg Cor to do _something_ when he felt Cor move down. Then that warm, wet tongue that had been exploring his mouth a few moments ago cupped the underside of his dick, and Nyx nearly came from that alone.

Trying to steady his breathing and honestly probably failing horribly, Nyx lifted one arm to cover his face, his other hand staying planted in Cor’s hair, tugging lightly at the other man’s scalp when he seemed content to just sit there and breathe warm air onto him like it wasn’t torture. Cor - fuck him, literally - chuckled before giving Nyx’s cock another sweep of his tongue. Grinding his teeth, Nyx didn’t even try to hold back the whimper when Cor finally placed his lips around him, drawing him into his mouth.

If heaven was a place, it was Cor’s mouth. Be it kissing him or being sucked off, Nyx really didn’t care. He just knew heaven was in there somewhere, and his tongue was the _gods damned devil_. Cor worked slow, edging him towards pleasure until it was nearly torture then backed off, letting the heat of it sink into his bones before he started pulling at the pleasure again. Nyx didn’t really know how much of this he could handle. Then Cor swallowed around him and Nyx was pretty sure he fucking died, because the world went dark for a moment.

The tingle started somewhere in the top of his head and made its way down his spine all the way to his toes, curling them. He bit back the cry, or tried to but ended up gasping anyway as that spark of electricity shot through him. Cor held onto him, one hand pressing into his hip while the other he’d his cock still against his mouth. Nyx stared at him in a daze as Cor pulled away and very purposefully locked their gazes as he licked his lips.

A shiver tumbled down Nyx’s spine and he carefully moved his arms, though they felt rather heavy and rubbery at the moment. Cor slid back up along his body, tangling his fingers in beads and braids so he could pull Nyx’s face back to his. He had this hazy content look in his eyes, like he’d just done something he’d been wanting to for a while, though that was probably true if Nyx thought about it long enough.

“You ok?” Nyx murmured, cause he had an itch in the back of his skull where a voice was telling him Cor hadn’t gotten any kind of pleasure from that, but the other man just gave him a little lopsided grin.

“I’m fine, get some sleep Nyx.”

Nyx started to argue but then thought better of it. He didn’t have anything to take their little session farther. Wasn’t like he’d pulled Cor out here expecting any of _this_ to happen, and if Cor started trying to find a substitute for lube, Nyx was pretty sure he’d punch him.

“Raincheck?” Nyx murmured, cause it was the best thing his brain could think of while wading through fog and molasses. 

Cor chuckled faintly and nuzzled his nose into the juncture of Nyx’s neck, breathing in deeply. His hands stayed in his hair, playing with a braid as he closed his eyes. “Hm. Raincheck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was more difficult to write than I thought it would be. Huh. Raincheck intended because after I started typing this out I realized neither of them would have lube. I guess Nyx could have had some? But then it’d bring up questions as to _why_ he bought Lube at Cid’s shop… SO… :D  
> Next chapter posted directly after this one because this is short and in case no one wants to read my bad smut.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Verygrunted. Enjoy your fluff/angst. <3

# Chapter 13

Nyx woke up in a tangle, twisted inside of a sleeping bag with a body over his that was a bit heavier than he remembered. He started to voice the complaint but was quickly silenced when Cor glanced at him and shook his head quickly. His eyes were dark, almost angry as he turned back around and peered out of the tent.

Being careful, Nyx shifted his weight until he could slip from the confines of the bag and peer out of the tent flap. What he saw made him freeze. The monster was huge, its body a deep purple, nearly black. Twin horns rose from its head jutting forward while its face seemed to be frozen in a permanent snarl. In its maw dangled a chocobo. It wasn’t one of theirs, Nyx noticed and thanked the Six for small mercies, but the two birds they had rented were long gone, probably already back with Wiz.

“Where the hell did it come from?” Nyx whispered, staring. There was _now way_ he slept through a Behemoth approaching their camp.

“Came from near the Disc,” Cor replied, frowning. “I heard the chocobo screech, I think that’s what woke you up too.”

“What do you suggest we do?” Nyx whispered just in time for the goddamn thing to swivel its ears. It froze and Nyx felt Cor stiffen beside him. Summoning his sword, Cor pressed his hand into Nyx’s back between his shoulder blades and pushed him lower to the ground when the humongous thing took a step forward and sniffed the air, dropping the dead chocobo carelessly.

Nyx dutifully did _not_ have a panic attack, keeping himself in check while his heart thudded thunderously in his ears. The thing had to be inches from one-hundred feet high and the Six only knew how long.

Another step, another sniff. Cor moved carefully, painfully slow and pulled the tent flap so it fell, leaving only a sliver between the tarp and the pole that they could see the giant beast through.

Another step, another sniff. A shadow fell across the tent, the flap moved slightly and Cor tensed. Nyx froze, staring wide-eyed as an amber eye tried to peer inside the tent. Every muscle in his body screamed for him to move, but the steady pressure of Cor’s hand on his back kept him in place.

Cor was getting ready to attack, he could tell by how he shifted his weight so he could propel himself forward more easily. Nyx’s brain immediately switched from self-preservation to making sure Cor didn’t do something horribly stupid. Like _attacking a fucking Behemoth._

Time slowed suddenly, surging almost to a halt. Nyx felt the exact moment Cor decided to attack, and then the movement stopped as a screech ripped through the air. The Behemoth outside their tent roared in return, turned and then there was a loud thud nearby that shook the earth beneath them.

Nyx looked at Cor, eyes wide and mouthed _’What the fuck?!’_ to him, no longer able to hold onto his panic.

Slowly, Cor used the hilt of his katana to pull back the flap of the tent so both of them could stare outside. And stare they did.

“Is that a fucking _Zu_?” Nyx whispered, staring. He’d only heard stories of the giant ass bird creature back home. He’d thought it was a legend. The thing was disgustingly huge, it dwarfed the Behemoth, making it look like a puppy against a chocobo by comparison. The wings on its head were flared out, the wings on its back half open. It was hissing threateningly at the Behemoth who snarled in return. Amazingly vicious towards a creature that was about triple its size.

“I… I think so,” Cor murmured, then hauled Nyx to his feet. They took off, leaving the camping gear behind because, maybe - _just maybe_ \- Cor could take down an adult Behemoth, but he wasn’t touching a Behemoth and a pissed off Zu.

* * *

They stopped long enough to warn Wiz about the Behemoth and the Zu. Cor even gave him the number of a group of Hunter’s back in Leide he could contact to help him if he needed it. Wiz didn’t seem to think he would. Apparently that particular Zu was familiar around there, and it _ate Behemoths_.

“We are never going back,” Nyx stated as he fell into the passenger seat of Cor’s car. “We are never going back no matter how much either of us like chocobos.”

“But that’s where I planned our honeymoon.”

Nyx stopped mid-click of his seatbelt and stared at Cor _hard_ , then clicked the belt into place like he was deliberately ending the discussion. He turned his head away to hide the blush he knew was quickly sliding up his neck, but Cor was already chuckling and Nyx wondered about the merits of just dropping him off on the side of the road as they pulled out of the Chocobo Post.

They fell into silence after that, Cor paying attention as he drove and Nyx staring out the window as trees swooped past. It wasn’t until Cor turned onto a different street that Nyx finally asked a question that had been buzzing in the back of his head since the day before when he’d finally met Cid at Hammerhead when Cor had asked him to make a quick pit stop. It had been an interesting experience to say the least.

“Cid seemed to know who I was kinda without really… ya know, you saying anything?” He glanced at Cor. “I know the King had to pretty much pull it out of you. He knew my name when I met him in his office, so I’m assuming he found out somehow.”

Cor frowned a little at the memory, but snorted. “I let it slip to Clarus. He probably figured out your last name after that.” He paused and stopped the car as a large shadow flew through the sky, carrying a slightly smaller but still freaking huge shadow. The Zu had gotten it’s breakfast it seemed. “As for Cid,” Cor continued as they both peered up at the sight because _what the fuck_. “He has a sixth sense for it. It’s kinda hard to explain,” he grumbled and frowned.

“So he can like… tell when people are matched?” Nyx asked, trying to get a bit more detail but figured it was losing battle.

“Sort of. He explained it to me once. He sees auras around people, different colors. When they are near their match, that aura stretches out, reaching for the other.” He put the car back into drive and started down the road again. “If there are two people near each other and they match, their auras blend together. If they aren’t, they kinda repel each other, the colors don’t want to mix, they want to get away.”

“That’s… really cool actually,” Nyx murmured. “So when he was circling me, it was to see if mine was reaching for you.”

“More than likely.”

“Huh… Wonder what color mine is.”

Cor snorted. “Knowing you? Blue.”

Nyx made a sound in the back of his throat and returned Cor’s snort with one of his own. “Maybe its hot pink. Maybe I’m a rebel.”

“You’re something alright.”

Another snort, but Nyx didn’t reply to the tease, instead turning the conversation back to Cid. “Did he ever tell you what yours was?” Nyx watched in wonder then as Cor reached up and scratched the bridge of his nose, something he’d learned was a thing he did when he was embarrassed.

“Green.”

“Huh, guess it has something to do with colors we’re attached to?”

Cor shrugged. “I don’t think it is… but Cid’s the only person I’ve ever met that can see them. After everyone split apart and Regis took the throne, I poked around for some leads on others similar to him but never found anything.” He slowed slightly as they neared the checkpoint between Duscae and Leide, showing his ID to the guard before passing through. “You know,” he murmured after a few minutes of silence had passed. “When I was younger, I used to think I’d never find you.” He avoided Nyx’s gaze like it were the plague, gripping the steering wheel a bit harder than he probably needed to. “I was.. Bitter. I hated everything about the world and everyone around me. Words were just as much a weapon as swords were back then.”

“Then you became the King’s body guard.”

“I was Mors’ first.” Cor wrinkled his nose up a bit. “My loyalty was always to the King, whatever he asked, I did… Mors asked me to guard Regis, so I did. Then Mors up and died and Regis became King. So I serve him.” 

He sounded so bitter when he spoke of it, Nyx realized. He wanted to ask, but decided against it. Something in the set of Cor’s jaw said he wasn’t willing to do so, even with him. It was a small opening though, and Nyx was determined to see it as a victory since Cor rarely spoke of anything further in the past than when he’d been around twenty and still a shithead.

“In Galahd,” Nyx started slowly, after the silence had stretched. “Family was always talked about so highly.” Leaning his head against the window, he peered up at the clouds. “Family was always first. Parents took care of their kids so that they may one day help care for them and their own children. The community as a whole was like one big family. They do everything together.” He chuckled softly. “They’d have one big day at the beginning of each month were we’d celebrate everyone’s birthday for that month. No gifts, no one had the money for it, but they’d make a huge cake and everyone got at least one candle…”

Nyx frowned, because he was going off on a tangent, speaking about things that didn’t really fit with the topic he’d started. He did that, he realized, when he didn’t really want to broach a subject he knew he should. So he just spat it out.

“My mom died when Selena was still little. The whole community hypes you up on all this stuff about family and how no matter what you’re the number one priority to your parents, but then I don’t think they ever had to live with someone who’d lost half of himself, ya know?” He laughed, but it sounded hollow so he stopped. “I practically raised her. Barely six years old and I had this three year old toddler following me around. That’s why I learned to cook, cause all dad could do was stare at the bottom of a beer mug.”

The car slowed, and Nyx paused in his story to watch a group of Anak move across the highway, lumbering along on long legs. Cor didn’t say anything, just waited patiently and Nyx refused to glance over at him for reasons he wasn’t even sure of.

“Lib’s dad owned a bar in town. We worked at it from the time we were thirteen until we left. Selena was able to work by then, and she’d been matched anyway so I wasn’t all that worried about her.” He twisted his fingers together, because he was at the part he really didn’t want to talk about, and was fighting with himself over it. It had been a few months now, but even still it was difficult to think, much less talk of it. “After,” he paused and frowned. “After Galahd burned, I got a box in mail. Was things they recovered from what was left of my parent’s house. Little things, a book, some odds and ends. Dumb stuff that I should probably just throw away.”

“Don’t,” Cor said suddenly, interrupting him.

Nyx laughed faintly. “Don’t worry, I didn’t plan to. I probably _should_ , but I won’t… It's just…” He frowned again, sucked on his tongue and then huffed out a soft breath. “There was a photo, of her, Selena. I’m guessing she got married, makes sense but…” It bothered him. It bothered him a whole lot more than he’d ever realized. He’d never told anyone about it, never mentioned it. Libertus knew the feeling, but Libertus didn’t have a little sister that had gone and gotten married and… “She had a kid.”

It was weird, how saying it out loud didn’t lift the weight of the world off his shoulders. Part of him thought it would. Instead he was staring at it, this weird thing that bothered him so much, like a scratch he couldn’t itch.

“All that bluster about family being the number one thing,” Nyx continued, frowning down at the floor because he could see Selena frowning back in the shadows. “And it took the whole place being fucking destroyed for me to find out.”

Cor didn’t say anything for a long time, and Nyx… Nyx was grateful for that. He might have been speaking to Cor, but he realized the words hadn’t been _for_ Cor. They’d been for himself. He’d needed to air the laundry, so to speak, because he hadn’t said what was bothering him aloud and now he could stare that demon straight in the face. The problem was, he still couldn’t understand the damn thing.

When he was finally able to drag himself up out of his own thoughts, Nyx realized they were nearing the checkpoint for Insomnia. The sun was setting, the sky fading into its normal fire of color across the sky. He was _tired_ , he realized as he watched the sun dip lower. Tired and more than a little world-weary.

He glanced at Cor as they pulled up to the guard booth, watching him talk to the man before he eased the car through the gates. He gave him a sheepish little grin then ducked his head, feeling silly. He’d started to apologize for telling such a dumb story, but knew better at this point. Cor would fuss, or tug on one of his braids and tell him to stop, because Cor didn’t care if what Nyx talked about was silly, petty or maybe just plain dumb. But Cor listened, and sometimes that’s all Nyx needed.

“Did you want to go somewhere else?” Cor asked as they made their way along the bridge into Insomnia proper.

“Ya know,” Nyx murmured as he leaned back in the seat. “I think watching a Behemoth eat a chocobo, and then a Zu eat the Behemoth that ate the chocobo has put me off adventuring for a while.”

Cor chuckled and arched an eyebrow. “Really? But you haven’t seen a Malboro eating a Spiracorn foal.”

Nyx gave him his best frown. “That is disgusting. You are a horrible, _horrible_ man.”

“Home then?”

“ _Gods yes_.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Eussoros. <3  
> Side Quest Unlocked [Cor] Chapter 8 takes place directly after this. C:

# Chapter 14

Nyx stared up at the stairs leading to the square, concrete building. It was three-floors high, the front covered in windows. Cor was halfway up the stairs, pausing to look back at him curiously. He hadn’t approached the subject, just parked and let Nyx stare at the front of the building for a few minutes before getting out. Nyx wasn’t upset, just perplexed though not for the reasons he thought he should be. It was more because he was quietly coming to the realization that ‘home’ wasn’t a place.

It was a person.

He stared at Cor for a moment before he followed him. The older man seemed to relax visibly when he finally started walking forward, because instead of taking him back to the bar, Cor had brought him to his apartment building. Which, if Nyx was honest with himself, wasn’t really a big deal. Cor had stayed over at the bar several times and the two of them slept in the same bed in a tangle of limbs because Nyx had this weird desire to both be warm and as physically close to Cor as he could be.

Cor held the door for him, waiting as Nyx walked inside and looked around the little lobby. There was a desk off to the side with a woman sitting behind it sipping on a cup of coffee. She looked up long enough to take a quick glance at Cor, someone she obviously recognized, then snapped her focus onto Nyx because Cor was walking to the elevator and Nyx was kinda just trotting along behind him like a lost child.

“Um, excuse me, sir?”

Nyx paused, because of course he would. He had nothing to hide from the woman but looking at her and the way she narrowed her eyes at him and looked him up and down made his spine turn to steel. It reminded him of when he’d gone to the Citadel, the people there staring at him like he was a fish out of water.

Because he was.

He was on a nice side of town, where no one wore braids or spoke with an accent. He wasn’t from the area, he wasn’t _Insomnian_. Hell, he was barely Lucian to most people, and normally he was okay with that. Normally he was perfectly nice about it, letting them stare at him, judge him for whatever they took him for. He’d let it wash over him and slip off him like water, but some of it always stuck, slithered under his skin and twisted around his bones.

“Unless you are visiting someone,” the woman sounded like she doubted it, the frown on her face confirmed it. “Then you need to leave.”

Nyx was usually nice, but he really didn’t feel like being nice. The corners of his mouth turned down, and the look on the woman’s face said a lot about his expression because she was suddenly extremely weary as he opened his mouth.

“He’s with me,” Cor’s voice spoke up from near the elevator, just a few degrees shy of icy tundra. “Nyx.”

Snapping his mouth shut, Nyx turned on his heel and walked over to the elevator, keeping his back turned towards the doors as they shut. “When,” he murmured as the elevator gave a little lurch. “When we take back Galahd sometime in the future, I hope the Insomnians stay away.” He regretted it as soon as he said it because Cor stiffened a little bit and didn’t look at him. “Not you," he amended quickly, frowning as he thought over what he’d said. “I’m sorry… Forget I said that.”

Cor stayed quiet as the elevator eased to a stop on the third floor, pulling keys out of his pocket before heading down the short hallway. There were only two doors on that floor, one of which had an interesting ‘welcome’ mat that had ‘Fuck Off’ written on it instead. Nyx was a little surprised when Cor didn’t use the key on that door.

The apartment was small, but big enough for what Cor used it for. There was a small kitchen tucked away in a corner with a breakfast nook beside it just large enough for a small table with two chairs. The living room was probably big enough for him and Cor to stretch across the floor, the couch that sat facing a wall with a TV mounted on it just a little too bulky for the room. A door near the breakfast nook lead off onto what was probably the tiniest balcony in history, and to the right of it was a short hallway with two doors. One was slightly ajar, a bathroom, and the other was closed and what Nyx quietly assumed was a bedroom. There was what he thought was a closet near the entry, but upon peeking past the door, he spied a stacked washer and dryer in there instead.

Cor had wandered towards the kitchen, getting something to drink by the sound of the water running and left Nyx to stand awkwardly by the door, still silently seething. He wasn’t sure where to go or what to do, so he just stood there, letting his eyes rove the apartment while he tried to silently cool his head so he didn’t say anything else he might regret.

“I figured yours would be the one across the hall,” he said after the silence had stretched on. “What with the interesting mat out front.”

“There’s an older woman that lives there,” Cor’s voice floated from the kitchen, his body unseen thanks to the partition that was there. “She’s in her eighties I believe. Don’t ever knock on her door, she’s rude.” There was a short pause, then a snort. “She’d probably like you.”

Nyx snorted. “Like me? Or accuse me of casing the place?.” He mumbled it under his breath, but apparently Cor heard him because he poked his head around the corner and narrowed his eyes at him. Nyx was feeling petty and had his hackles up, so he glared back.

“We can go back to the bar,” Cor offered, trying to placate him.

Nyx let the anger out of his shoulders and sighed. “No. I’m sorry.” Truth be told, he didn’t want to have to walk back by the front desk again. Instead, he wandered into the small kitchen, looking around at it curiously. It was tiny, sure, but well equipped. It also looked like it hadn’t been used. “Did you just move here or something?”

“I’ve been in this place since I was…” Cor frowned, pausing to think about it. “Seventeen? I couldn’t stand living in the Citadel. Regis kept coming to my room in the middle of the night like some kind of pervert. I’m just rarely here. I’ve probably slept in the bed a years worth out of the past… however many it's been.”

Nyx choked and stared at Cor because what the hell did that even mean? “Wait. The King was doing _that_?” Cor turned to look at him with this exasperated look that Nyx had a very strong urge to slap off him.

“Regis never understood the idea of personal space. I used to wake up in the middle of the night with him curled up a the foot of my bed like some kind of misguided puppy. The first few times I kicked him on accident. After that I kicked him on purpose.” With a snort, Cor turned back to the stove which he’d started cooking on.

“That..” Nyx paused, picturing a young Regis and a younger Cor. “Is oddly cute.”

“Cute would be you doing that. With him it was just annoying.”

Nyx sidestepped the cute comment like it was a bullet blazing for his forehead. “Why was he doing it?”

The sigh Cor released told a story all its own, of how utterly annoyed he could become with the King in their younger days. Nyx was going to make sure he asked about those stories one day. Most of them sounded endlessly amusing.

“I was still touchy,” Cor grumbled after a moment. “I didn’t like people all that much and Regis thought if he exposed me enough to… what did he call it?” Cor scrunched his nose up a bit and Nyx stared because by the fucking Six it was _cute_. “T.L.C?”

Nyx started laughing because he couldn’t help it. “So he thought sneaking into the room of a little shitheaded kid with an equally shitty attitude and _military training_ was a good idea?”

“I never said Regis was a bright man.”

Nyx snorted and leaned against the counter, watching as Cor cooked what was slowly turning into an omelette on the stove. It smelled really good, especially after running all the way from Duscae to Insomnia after witnessing the food chain in action and not stopping anywhere on the way back.

He took a seat when Cor took the food and plates over to the small eating nook, trying his best not to feel awkward in the space because this was his first time there and he wasn’t sure if he’d be coming back. His welcome wagon up front hadn’t given him any hope for that. When Cor finally sat across from him, a strange silence fell, leaving Nyx quietly poking at the food and Cor looking out the window towards the artificially lit streets of Insomnia.

“What would they have done,” Cor finally murmured, pulling Nyx’s attention away from the eggs he was pushing around his plate. “If I’d found you in Galahd?” His gaze fell from the glass to Nyx’s face and felt like a punch when it landed there.

“You wouldn’t have found me,” Nyx answered truthfully, giving Cor a small, sad smile.

“Even if I was one of their people’s soulmate?”

Nyx felt his mouth thin out as he turned his eyes back down on his food. He was quickly losing his appetite. “They…” he sighed and placed his fork down, folding his hands together in front of his face. “Cor, Lib and I left for a _reason_. The older generations, the leaders of every governing body in Galahd? They thought we were self-contained. They thought we had to do everything alone.” He fluttered his hands above his head. “Don’t get me wrong, it was a beautiful place to grow up, and the people there were nice. But they raised us _wrong_.”

Frowning, he glanced back down at his plate. “I knew people that never found their matches.” He didn’t look over at Cor, refused to. “They died alone, or sometimes the ones that couldn’t find anyone settled with other people that couldn’t either. You’d think they were matches, how they taught all of it to us. And for the longest time we thought it was true. Hell my sister found her match when she was barely sixteen. She hadn’t even forgotten what color looked like. I always thought something was wrong with me, that maybe I was just fucked up. But Lib was like that too, and we had this terrifying idea that _we_ were each other’s match.” He laughed then and gave Cor a crooked grin. “We spent like, a whole year avoiding each other because we’d thought that up. Then the night before we left, we said “fuck it” and grabbed each other’s hand.”

“Disappointed?”

“ _Hell no_. Libertus is a dickhead and I would have killed him,” Nyx grumbled. “But we had to try, because if we left without trying and we were, we’d never be let back in.” He shrugged. “And we were leaving because we didn’t want to end up like those who hadn’t. I mean, I was watching my old man slowly kill himself because he was watching my sister being happy. As bad as it sounds, I didn’t want to end up like that.” Frowning, Nyx ran his fingers through his hair and then rolled one of the beads between his thumb and index finger. “To answer your question, yes, even if you were the soul match for someone within Galahd they would have turned you away. They believed everything was self contained, like I said. And they are _really_ stubborn about that kind of shit.”

“I’m guessing,” Cor ventured as took a bite of eggs, reminding Nyx that he actually was hungry. “Them living in Insomnia now might change that?”

“In theory, but the reception here hasn’t been amazing. Which I guess we kinda brought on ourselves, but can you blame us?” Nyx speared an eggs with his fork and bit into it, enjoying the flavor that floated around on his tongue. “In the morning,” he murmured after eating a few more bites and completely derailing the conversation, “let me leave with a weapon and something that looks kinda valuable.”

Cor frowned at him, his eyebrows coming together. “Why?”

“Trust me.”

* * *

Cor’s bedroom was remarkably tidy, but then the man had said he was barely ever in it. Nyx did, however; look for one particular thing. He knew Cor knew what he was looking for by the sly look on the older man’s face. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching Nyx sniff around the room like a shadowstalker looking for its next meal.

“Looking for something?”

“I know they’re in here somewhere,” Nyx snorted, staring him down. “I will find them.”

“If you ask nicely-”

“ _Never_.”

Cor shrugged it off and moved off the bed to go to the bathroom. Nyx used the time allotted to him to search for the stash of chocobo shirts Cor had quietly been confiscating from his own dresser. Cor’s return to his bedroom found a pouting, glaring Nyx Ulric sitting at the foot of his bed.

Glaring that quickly turned to openly staring because Cor was an evil man who’d taken a quick shower and showed back up in his room with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist and water still clinging to his skin.

“Give up yet?”

Nyx pressed his lips together pointedly, refusing to answer. He did however, let his eyes rake over Cor while he stood there acting like some kind of eye-candy meant to be consumed. When Nyx continued to refuse to answer him, Cor just raised an eyebrow, shrugged then turned towards a wooden chest stationed under his bedroom window.

“Suit yourself.”

He opened it and pulled out a shirt. A shirt that Nyx very much recognized.

“Wait a minute.” Moving quickly, he stood and walked over, peering down into the chest and finding several shirts, many of which he had _not _given Cor, folded neatly inside the chest. “Wha- How did you get some of these?” he murmured, confused as he reached in and picked up a shirt that had a fat little chocobo chick sitting on the front with ‘I don’t give a Kweh’ scrawled under it. Cor actually had more shirts in there than times he’d even stayed at the bar.__

____

__

Cor made a face as he pulled the shirt on and actively ignored the way Nyx was staring down in wonder at the trove of shirts he’d managed to acquire. “Libertus.” When Nyx shot him a look, Cor gave him a little smirk. “And Crowe.”

“Those two assholes,” he breathed and then laughed. “I’ve only got like, maybe five of yours stuffed in my closet.” He folded the shirt back, and carefully placed it back within the chest. “Maybe I should sneak in here and steal some.”

“Don’t have to sneak,” Cor murmured, glancing at him. “You’re welcome here whenever you want.”

Nyx rubbed the back of his neck and didn’t comment on it, instead voting to go over to Cor’s bed and crawl under the covers like the slightly embarrassed ball of self-loathing that he was. Cor followed shortly after, and Nyx didn’t hide the attempt to wiggle closer to the warm body that took up the other half of the bed.

“Still want to take them back?” he asked against the top of Nyx’s head, perfectly content with the way Nyx was fitting himself up against him like a puzzle piece that had finally found its home.

“Nah, though now I know what I can ‘steal’,” Nyx snickered and settled himself against Cor’s chest, closing his eyes.

Cor gave into an urge then, reaching up and carefully rubbing his fingers up the back of Nyx’s neck until they tunneled through his hair. He scratched lightly where braids met skin, earning what could only be described as a sleepy purr from Nyx.

* * *

“Is there another way out of here besides the front?” Nyx asked as he stared up from a bag he’d packed with Cor’s clothes because if he was stealing anything it was clothes for when Cor stayed over and needed them for work. At least now it looked like he’d actually rifled through the man’s things.

Cor paused from where he stood in the doorway watching Nyx with an amused expression. “I could go down the fire exit I guess.”

“Do that.”

“You have yet to explain this plan to me.”

Nyx grinned like a cat who’d managed to get into the canary cage. “You’ll figure it out later.” And then he was off, Cor’s katana in hand. It was quite a sight really, because Nyx was wearing one of Cor’s shirts, which fit him fine, and a pair of his fatigue pants which were a little too long on him and had to be rolled. The bag slung over his shoulder was obviously stuffed and he was carrying the katana like he owned the thing.

“Just don’t get into too much trouble,” he murmured, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards slightly. He wasn’t sure what kind of fuss this was going to cause, but he assumed it would be amusing after it was done being annoying.

“Yes sir,” Nyx chirped, and then walked out of the door.

The ride down the elevator was hilarious. Two people got on from the second floor and he smiled cheerily at them. The hurried off on the ground floor and Nyx took his time as he walked through the lobby. When he saw the same woman at the desk, he put on his best shit-eating grin and gave her a little salute with the sword in his hand. She was eyeing him up and down, eyes lingering on the bag slung on his shoulder and the sword.

“Don’t worry,” Nyx said cheerily. “If you call for help now he _should_ be okay. But don’t wait too long, yeah?” And then he dipped out of the complex and pulled Cor’s keys from his pocket. Tossing the bag and sword in the backseat, he slid into the driver’s side and looked back towards the building. The woman was staring at him through the window, talking frantically on the phone.

Perfect.

He picked Cor up at the back of the building, humming happily.

“I’m guessing you got the reaction you wanted,” Cor murmured as he climbed into the car, chuckling when Nyx just grinned at him, a far cry from his pissed off attitude from the night before. They changed seats after Nyx stopped at the bar and got the bag out of the back. Cor released the katana back to the armiger. “I’ll come by after work,” he told Nyx before the younger man could close the door.

Nyx grinned. “Sure, I will definitely want to hear how today went.” Then he shut the door and watched Cor pull off before heading inside. He made it a good three steps inside when he was practically tackled.

“Where the fuck have you been?!” Libertus whined, wrapping his arm around his neck. “And are you wearing Cor’s clothes?” His best friend gave him a sideways look then smirked. “You _dog_."

Nyx sputtered and shoved him playfully. “Fuck off, it was a prank on the receptionist at Cor’s apartment building.”

“So you _stayed the night_ eh?"

“Stole some of his clothes too. And you and I are going to have a discussion about you helping Cor pinch my shirts.”

Libertus snorted and then smiled sheepishly, an amused glitter in his blue eyes. “You were gonna end up there eventually. I was just helping.”

Nyx coughed and laughed. “Yes well, now he has some here for when he has to go to work in the morning, instead of wearing random chocobo shirts.”

"Where’ve you been for the last three days anyway? Hold up in Cor’s apartment?” Lib sat at the bar on one of the stools, looking over at him curiously. “Geeze, I thought I pined bad.”

“We went camping.” Nyx stared at Libertus wide-eyed. “I saw a Zu.”

Libertus stared at him in awe. “Tell me _everything._ "

Well he wasn’t going to tell him _everything_ , but he’d definitely had a story to share.


	15. Chapter 15

# Chapter 15

“You’re sure about this?” Nyx asked him again as he took a sip of his drink, frowning down at the mug. “We can’t change our minds afterwards.”

Libertus sighed and rolled his eyes. “Think about it, Nyx. This is our way back into Galahd. We just have to win it back and rebuild. We can go _home_.”

It was a nice prospect, Nyx agreed with that, but at the same time it was different. “Cor is from Insomnia, Lib. I don’t know if they’ll ever openly accept him there. At this point we’ve all broken the rule I guess, but still… They were forced to leave, that doesn’t mean they’ll accept an ‘outsider’.”

“Then you’d stay here instead of going home?” Lib asked, making a slightly disgusted sound in the back of his throat.

“Home is wherever Cor is,” Nyx stated simply, staring Libertus down and silently daring him to try and argue his point. “If he wants to stay here, I stay. If he wants to try and go to Galahd if we can get it back, then we go… if he wants to live in the middle of the fucking ocean on a boat, that’s where I’ll be.” He downed what was left in his glass and poured himself another. “We left because there was no one there for us, I’m not going back so they can try and rip him away from me after I’ve found him. I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep him there and they’ll hate it.”

“He’s a common enough sight around here that most have accepted him,” Libertus pointed out, pushing his mug around.

“Sure, the Kingsglaive, but not everyone is in that.” Nyx sighed and looked up at the ceiling. He wished this was easier. “It doesn’t matter, we haven’t even won back our home, and even if we do it will be years before we can go back officially.”

They didn’t know what kind of shape Galahd was in. It could be beyond saving for all they knew. Buildings were destroyed, farms burned to a crisp. Docks, boats and other things they’d used to make a living were just ash on the shores now. They could probably get help from the Crown to rebuild, but it would be a fight with the King’s other governing bodies to get it. Hell, half the city didn’t want them there as it were. The likelihood of aid being offered was slim on a good day.

Nyx glanced towards the clock and sighed. It was well past close for the bar, which is why he and Libertus were drinking. Crowe had come home worn to the bone and gone to bed. Libertus had stayed up to keep Nyx company while he waited for Cor, but it didn’t seem like he was going to make it home. He glanced at his phone, didn’t see a message and put it away. “Sleep on it, Lib,” he murmured then rubbed his face with his hands. “We’ll decide in the morning.”

“Do you need to talk it over with Cor?”

“Already did. I don’t think he’s _against_ it, but I don’t think he’s necessarily all for it either. I’d really like to not feel as defenseless as I did that morning when that Behemoth was sniffing around though. At least if I could fight too, then both of us could have taken it down. Maybe, I guess.” It was a half truth. He had felt rather defenseless laying there on the ground with Cor hovering over him with his sword, ready to put his life on the line.

“Well,” Lib sighed as he grabbed his keys. “Guess we should get this over with.”

Nyx released a nervous little laugh and followed him out the door.

* * *

“You know,” Nyx murmured from where he stood beside Libertus. “If you’re not sure about this, ya know… maybe this is a bad idea. We could always come back later… think it over a little more.”

Libertus choked, but didn’t look at him. “ _Nyx_!” he finally hissed, face red. “It’s a _little late_ for this shit!”

It was, because no sooner had Lib hissed at him than Titus Drautos, Commander of the Kingsglaive pushed open the door and looked around at the group of men standing there, dressed down in grey, sleeveless shirts and black fatigue pants. They were to be tested, they’d been told. To see if they could handle the magic that could possibly be handed over to them.

Drautos peered around the room, a grin plastered on his face as his eyes traveled. “Good morning, ladies,” he called out, his gaze finally landing on somewhere between Nyx and the other recruits around him. He stood stock still, waiting. “Today, we’re going to learn if your up for the job or not. Feel free to faint, barf or pass out, but know you’re out if you do.”

That sneer he wore didn’t change, Nyx realized as they moved outside, walking single file out towards a large training area. It was a large arena like area with several ruin like pillars near the center and scattered pillars along the edges. Nyx stared at them curiously, letting his eyes scan around the different areas as they walked by.

“This,” Drautos called out. “Is the training arena. If you manage to make rank, you’ll be training here.” His grin turned almost sadistic.

Nyx glanced at Lib, wondering what the hell his best friend had gotten him to sign up for.

* * *

“Axis Arra,” Drautos snarled out, glancing at the line of panting men. Nyx was sweating like he was too close to the god damn sun but he stayed upright. The wave of nausea that had assaulted his senses initially had faded rather quickly, it didn’t seem the others had been so lucky. Poor Lib had puked when the Commander had force-warped him across the arena. But now Drautos was calling out names and having them line up and Libertus was doing his best to put on a strong face.

“Sontius Bellum,” Another name and another man walked over, shoving papers into the man’s hands. “Josef and Elea Miles.” A man and woman this time, from the back of the line Nyx hadn’t even seen. “Libertus Ostium.”

When Libertus walked up Titus looked him up and down then shoved a form in his hands. “Altius told me to look out for you,” he murmured, giving him a praising look because Lib had fought _dirty_ and it had made Drautos laugh. “Where’s Ulric?” he asked, looking along the line of men and women.

Nyx gulped and took a step forward. Drautos walked up and shoved another packet of paper into his hands. “Altius seems to think highly of you two,” he grumbled, staring down at Nyx because he was a tall motherfucker that could make Cor tilt his head a bit. “But I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth, you’re the only one that didn’t toss his guts like a school kid in his first fight.” He reached out, clasped his hand onto Nyx’s shoulder and turned. “Report to the main office, get your effects and get ready.” He grinned over his shoulder at the six of them. “And get ready for some fun.” 

They watched Drautos saunter off because the man didn’t know how to simply walk. He made it seem like he owned the place just by being there. Nyx just stared after him, trying to keep his jaw off the floor.

“You keep staring like that, Cor’s gonna get jealous,” Lib teased, elbowing him.

“Shut up,” Nyx grumbled, shooting him a glare. “The man’s the fucking Commander and a decorated war hero at this point.”

Libertus snorted and chuckled. “Just saying.”

Not that Nyx was going to have a problem with any of this. It was just names and titles were a little shiny right out of the box and were blinding him a bit. Hell he still got anxiety over possibly meeting the King again, because joining his Glaives was definitely a way to end up meeting him again. He rubbed his face and breathed out slowly. “C’mon, let’s go get our stuff and see if we can’t find Crowe. Maybe she can at least tell us how to _not_ get on the Commander’s bad side.”

* * *

Crowe was appraising them, looking him and Libertus over like they were slabs of meat hanging up at a butcher’s shop. The uniforms they’d picked up were standard issue. Shirt, pants, boots and gloves. The jacket that came with it was too heavy and had way too many buttons, clips, cords and freaking chains coming off of it. Putting everything on hadn’t been too much of a trial, though the coat had gotten a few choice words from Libertus.

“Nice,” Crowe teased as she finished circling, giving Lib a wink. “Always liked a man in uniform.”

Nyx snorted softly from beside them, earning a grin from Crowe. “Gross.”

She laughed and slapped his shoulder playfully. “I bet Cor will appreciate you in that uniform. The man has eyes, good sharp ones too. He’ll understand.”

Another snort but her comment gave Nyx pause. He hadn’t told Cor yet, nor had the other man come back from the Citadel last night. Still no phone calls or texts. He was starting to get worried. Cor never left him hanging, usually calling to explain and apologize, but this time? It made him nervous, not knowing. Cor’s job was dangerous more time than not, he just hoped-

Fingers snapped near his nose, pulling him from his thoughts. He blinked and stared at Libertus, frowning. “Eh?”

His best friend stared back. “Man, you really zoned out for a moment there. Everything okay?” Lib just watched him when Nyx hesitated and huffed. “Call him, Nyx. Check on him. He doesn’t always have to be the first one to call. Make sure he’s alright so you’ll stop freaking out.” Libertus smiled then, an encouraging one as he gave Nyx a little push. “Go to the park and get some air. We’ve got an hour before we meet up with the Commander.”

Nyx breathed out a long sigh. He was always worried about calling Cor first. “What if he’s busy? He might be in the middle of something.”

“Then he’ll either make time for you or plan a time to talk, Nyx.” Lib shook his head, “What am I gonna do with you? I swear.”

Nyx gave a little half-hearted laugh. “Toss me out a window?”

“Thinking about it,” Libertus grumbled then pushed him again. “Go call your boyfriend.”

Nyx didn’t argue and made his way to the elevator, taking it down to the bottom floor before heading out. The park Lib had instructed him to go to was a short walk from the Citadel entrance. He found a bench along the sidewalk nearby and parked himself on it. Pulling a knee up so he could rest his chin on it, he sat there for a moment fiddling with his phone until he finally built up his nerve. Flicking his finger across the glass screen, he pulled up his contacts. Cor had a star beside his name and a photo that Nyx had snuck of him at the bar. He hesitated, berated himself for it and then pressed the call icon on the side.

It rang twice before it clicked over and a familiar voice breathed his name into the earpiece, sounding utterly relieved. “Nyx.”

Nyx released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, letting it slide past his lips like a prayer. “Cor.” Silence hung there for a moment and Nyx was able to make out muffled talking in the background along with a low hum. “Did I call at a bad time?” he asked warily. “I can call back.”

“No, its fine,” Cor said quickly. “I was about to call you actually… to apologize.”

Nyx knew that tone. “Is everything okay? Something come up?”

Cor released a low sigh. “Yeah. Remember when I was gone for a while? Shortly after we met? I reported back with a base of Imperials that were crossing from Cleigne over into Duscae. They sent some Glaives out a while back to check in on it and take it down, but no one’s reported back.”

“So they are sending you?” Nyx asked with a frown. “Shouldn’t the Kingsglaive Commander handle that?”

A snort came across the phone, one that sounded like it had a smile hiding behind it. “I asked the same thing,” Cor admitted. “He’s busy with new recruits however, so they deemed it fit to send me.”

Nyx felt his stomach drop and lowered his head slightly, some insignificant part of his brain very quickly pointing out that _he_ was one of those new recruits. But even if he and Lib had waited, the process would have still happened. They hadn’t been the only ones there, they’d just been one of the ones chosen.

“Pelna and a few other Glaives from the bar are with me though,” Cor continued, unaware of Nyx’s internal turmoil. Nyx quickly turned his attention back to his phone. “I told them about you trying to teach me some Galahdian.”

“Oh?” Nyx smiled, imagining the shocked faces as Cor’s announcement. Not many wanted to learn their native tongue. It was believed it was too ‘harsh’ of a language. “How’d that go?”

“They claim I’ll be fluent by the time we get back.” There was a teasing note hidden in Cor’s tone that made Nyx smile, even if it was only a little.

“How long are you going to be gone?” he murmured into the mouthpiece, wishing quietly Cor was standing in front of him instead of miles away by now. “I didn’t get to send you off properly. Remind me to glare righteously at the King later.”

That earned him a laugh, though it died faster than he liked. “I’m not sure,” Cor answered honestly. “If all goes right, a month? We have to stake out the place first. Last time I was there so was the General Commander of the Imperial Military.”

Nyx swallowed hard, trying to get the knot of nerves out of his throat. “Take care of yourself,” he instructed. “Be careful and don’t get hurt.”

Cor was chuckling, the bastard. “That sounded like worry, Ulric. You getting soft on me?”

Nyx, being the graceful and loving man that he was, released a string of curses in Galahdian that would have singed Cor’s hair if he’d said them in Lucian. There was a pause on the line before Cor spoke.

“I’m not sure what you said,” Cor murmured sheepishly. “But judging the way Pelna is looking at me, it must have been something ugly.”

“Tell him to teach it to you later,” Nyx huffed, but quickly deflated. “Seriously Cor. Be careful. You looked like death warmed over when you came back from Cleigne before.” There was another, shorter pause on Cor’s side before finally he spoke.

“I will.”

* * *

Libertus met him near the barracks, their meeting spot before going to the Commander’s office. Nyx’s emotions were still riding him hard and must have showed on his face because Lib had immediately asked him what was wrong. As they walked, Nyx explained his phone call.

“So he’s been sent out again for who-knows-how-long?” Lib grumbled, then bumped his shoulder against Nyx’s gently. “Guess you didn’t tell him about our little adventure then.”

“Hell no. If he knew about this he might focus on it instead of his mission,” Nyx huffed. “No, he’ll learn about it when he gets back. He can fuss at me then.” Stepping past Libertus, Nyx knocked his knuckles against the wooden door of the Commander’s office, waiting for a ‘come in’ before opening it.

“Ostium and Ulric, sir.”

“Ah, good,” Drautos murmured. He was sitting at his desk, the other recruits standing in front of it. Libertus and Nyx joined the line up quickly. “The ceremony,” Drautos started after they were in place, “that will give you access to the King’s magic will be performed at the end of this week. After that ceremony you lot will be training for several weeks and then a demonstration will be arranged for the King. You don’t have to worry about that now, but he does enjoy a flashy show.” He leaned forward a little, placing his elbows on his desk. “For now, pick your weapons of choice from what we have provided. If you have your own, let me know. It will need to be tested then imbued with magical properties before it can be used. Until then, use the ones we have to offer at the training ground.” He looked between the six people gathered in front of his desk. “Dismissed.”

Nyx hung back, waving Libertus off as the others filed out of the room and his friend gave his arm a tug. Once the room was empty and Libertus had paused long enough at the doorway to let him know he was waiting, Nyx approached the Commander’s desk.

“Yes, Ulric?”

“I have a weapon,” he murmured. “Not with me, but it is one I’d like to use.”

Titus regarded him for a moment then shrugged. “Alright. What type of blade?”

“A kukri, sir.”

“Just one?” Drautos asked, brow raised. “I thought those came in pairs.”

“It was lost, sir.” Nyx answered truthfully. “They belonged to my father when he was younger. I took one when I left home. The other was lost.” Destroyed, more than likely, but it wasn’t a subject Nyx was willing to discuss with the Commander.

Drautos hummed softly then nodded. “Bring it to me sometime tomorrow. I know a weapon smith that might be able to forge another mate for the blade.”

Nyx swallowed then nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

* * *

Libertus, Nyx discovered, was a massive asshole. They had paired off to spar, Libertus testing out different weapons while Nyx had claimed a set of daggers since they were the closest thing he could get to a kukri from the armory. Libertus would end up claiming a short sword by the end of the day, but during their matches the bastard fought like a street child. Low down and fucking dirty. Like he’d stolen something from a vendor stall and Nyx was the law chasing him down.

Afterwards they had headed home and Nyx had gently shoved Lib as they walked into the bar, glaring at him teasingly.

“I can’t believe you tripped me, then tried to shank me with that oversized toothpick,” Nyx laughed. “Dirty rat.”

Lib grinned and winked at him. “More where that came from,” he joked before going to get the bar ready to open.

Nyx turned the lights on and paused beside the bar, next to the stool Cor usually occupied in his small corner. He stared at it then sighed heavily. A month. He just had to make it a month.

Simple.

He could _totally_ do this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just real quick, Cor’s little side chapter isn’t going to be updated for a little bit. Gonna focus on giving Nyx some chapters. However when it is, it will be one long chapter for Cor’s mission. I’m planning on two Nyx chapters, then Cor’s big chapter, then another two Nyx chapters to cover the duration of time in which Cor is going to be gone (this is prone to change). Just giving that warning because it might take me a bit to type everything out that i have planned for that. Hope you guys like action! :D


	16. Chapter 16

# Chapter 16

“ _Please_ tell me you did not repeat that story,” Nyx murmured, his head hanging low enough to touch the bar top with his forehead. The cool wood felt good against his skin and somewhat soothed the headache that was forming.

Crowe - he loved her, he did, he just had to remind himself now and then - gave him her sweetest smile. “You can't tell a girl you fought a full grown coeurl, took a whisker to the chest and _survived_ and expect her not to brag.”

“She has a point.”

“Shut up, Lib.” Nyx turned his eyes back on Crowe, that sugary-sweet smile being hidden by her mug as she drank. “I haven't even told _Cor_ that story yet,” he huffed and snorted when she choked on her beer.

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Crowe shot him a little glare. “Why not? That's impressive as hell,” she sucked on her teeth. “Bet he would have dropped on one knee and asked you to marry him right there on the spot.”

It was Nyx's turn to choke and sputter, wrinkling his nose at her. “Yeah well, now Drautos is going to be expecting some hot shot. I'm not a teenager anymore.”

She grinned at him, eyes glittering. “I saw you fighting Libertus,” she teased as Lib started sputtering a protest. “You're a bendy little shit.”

“Bendy little shit,” Nyx scoffed. “That's just rude.”

* * *

Drautos looked at the blade Nyx had handed him curiously, tilting it before giving it an experimental slash. “Good balance,” he murmured, surprised.

The grin Nyx gave the Commander was bordering on a sneer. “Didn't think Galahd could push out decent weapons?”

Drautos gave him a look that called him an idiot without the word actually being spoken. “The Smith that made it,” Drautos continued as if Nyx hadn't made an ass of himself. “Was very good.” He tossed the blade, letting it spin in the air and caught it by the handle, then like it had been purely by impulse, Drautos threw the kukri. It flipped end over end before embedding itself neatly into the opposite wall of his study.

Nyx just stared.

“I know a man,” Drautos said as he leaned back in his chair casually, like he hadn’t just cause the foot long blade to slice through drywall like butter. “He can make you one similar, not identical, but fairly similar.”

“That’s fine,” Nyx agreed as he stared at the blade and the claws that hung from leather strips off its hilt. _’One for the past,’_ he thought quietly as he walked over and tugged the blade out of the wall. _’And one for the future.’_ He handed the blade back over to Drautos who intended to take it to the King. Once the other was crafted, the two would be imbued with magic and given back to him.

“Head out to the training grounds for now, get your training in for the afternoon.” Drautos paused, seeming to consider something then looked up, giving Nyx a little sideways smirk. “Might come down later to see how its going.”

Nyx’s eyes narrowed. “We’ve only been training for a day,” he murmured. “It’s not ‘going’ anywhere at the moment.”

“True,” the Commander conceded. “But I heard an interesting story about an interesting guy.”

Nyx snorted and saluted. “I’ll be on my way, Commander.” And then he left the office, Drautos’ gruff chuckle following him as he headed down the hall. Maybe it was a good thing he was going to be training now after all. He felt like punching someone a few times and Sontius was quickly proving to be the kind of asshole he’d like to punch in the mouth.

It didn’t take him long to reach it. An elevator ride and a quick jaunt through the middle of the Citadel. The back double doors lead into a garden like area, past it was the arena and if the sounds of laughter were any indication, the group was already there.

In the arena, Josef - the Insomnian who’d been recruited along with his sister Elea - was facing off against Sontius. Sontius was a grade-A bastard, even during training when he hit, he hit hard. It was almost as if he was trying to hurt the other party, lunging and stabbing but Josef was fast and lanky. He turned away and caught Sontius on the wrist with a sharp hit from his hand. The dagger in the other man’s hand dropped and like a whip of lightning, Josef caught it. The tides turned then, Josef punching out at Sontius with the hilt of the dagger, catching him in the chest and sending the larger man sprawling.

Applause erupted from the rest of the group and Nyx found himself smiling. He liked Josef. He was younger than him and Lib by a few years, but he was smart. The two of them had been making a conscious effort to get to know him and his sister Elea.

When Josef offered Sontius his hand, the other man snarled at him and stood up on his own, stalking off the field.

* * *

The weeks that followed were full of training, be it from each other or Drautos himself who seemed to enjoy tossing frost and fire spells at them. He would appear from time to time during sparring matches, though as far as Nyx knew, he’d never showed up while he was in the arena. He wasn’t sure if he should be happy about that or not.

When not training with the others, he and Lib had taken up sparring at thome, using the small patio area that was their ‘backyard’ as a ring of sorts. Their sparring stayed more hand-to-hand and they only changed that routine after Crowe offered to help.

Crowe was a firebug. When she wasn’t spewing flames she was zapping them with lightning, and Nyx was quickly coming to the realization that Libertus’ girlfriend was an asshole when she got it in her head to be one. They’d taken to tag-teaming her, Libertus acting as a distraction while Nyx swept in to take her out. When their plan finally worked and Crowe found herself on her back, air knocked from her lungs and Libertus peering down at her fretting over if they’d been a little too rough, she’d laughed.

Time passed quickly as they continued training and running the bar. A combination of sleep deprivation and the eventual sleep of the exhausted saw a month pass before Nyx was even sure it had. He’d talked to Cor a few times, mostly through text which he was grateful for since most of the time he was pretty sure he sounded as exhausted as he felt.

Cor’s mission had gotten derailed at least twice on their trip to Ravatogh. Apparently two bases of Imperials had sprouted up within Duscae and they had paused a few days to take care of those before moving on. The King wasn’t happen, but was hesitant to go back into full blown war with the Empire now that a ‘kind of’ peace was in place. War meant deploying everyone. Including the greenhorns Drautos had stayed behind to train.

Nyx was counting his blessings.

Because the day of the ceremony that Drautos had discussed with them over a month ago had arrived.

Dressed in their full uniform, including armor and weapons, the six of them stood in the throne room before the King. Drautos had been right when he had told them Regis liked flashy. It was a big grand thing, a lot of bells and whistles and the rest of the Kingsglaive - except those who were out working - standing around in the throne room with random other governing bodies in place. They would kneel, hold their hands out and accept Regis’ magic as their own, and then it was done.

The whole thing wasn't a big deal, the party, all the viewers. Receiving the magic was a bit different. Nyx wasn’t entirely sure how to describe it. His bones had tingled and hummed when Regis had reached out and took his hand. There had been a glow, blue and crystalline, that had passed over his skin the sunk beneath it. He’d stared at his hand afterward, perplexed as the six of them rose and accepted the title of Kingsglaive.

Nyx turned to look out amongst the group that was clapping and watching the process take place, standing and watching the newly appointed servants to the king. Crowe was in the crowd, smiling proudly as she watched Libertus. It was at that moment, Nyx realized that he was going to have to explain he and Libertus had joined the Kingsglaive in the month he’d been gone to Cor.

That was going to be interesting.

“Now,” the King announced, clapping his hands together and smiled. “Commander, how have our new recruits been doing.”

Drautos stepped forward, his face the same placid, emotionless sheet it normally was in public - though Nyx knew that was a fucking lie because the man was a sadistic fucker - and bowed to the King. “They are all doing quite well, your Majesty. I have a few in mind that show promise.”

“Good, we’ll discuss those later,” the King nodded then grinned, a look that made Nyx think Regis was enjoying this _way_ too much. “Shall we head to the training grounds?”

* * *

Libertus faced off against Elea, which Nyx found himself quietly happy about. Elea, though fast, didn’t have enough stamina to keep up with Lib. Out of the group, she was the one Libertus would have the least amount of trouble with, though still be challenged by. Josef was built for speed like his sister, but packed a pretty hard punch and when he went later against Axis, he showed off that prowess by knocking the other man flat on his back quickly. The crowd had cheered, enjoying the bouts as the newly appointed Glaives tried to slice at each other with dulled blades.

The weapons were about as sharp as a river pebble. Even if he stabbed someone with the daggers he carried for these matches, Nyx doubted they would break the skin unless he applied most of his body weight to it. Which meant actually hurting someone with them would take effort.

When his name and Sontius’ were called he eyed the other man warily. Sontius was built more for power while Nyx sufficed in speed. He was fast, flexible and could generally escape unscathed. More than a few bruises from their training had come from Sontius, though more came from the fact he tried to best Drautos a few times.

Sontius was also known to fight dirty. He’d use anything to his advantage if he thought he could. A distraction in the distance, using his own eyes and expressions to make his opponent thing something else was going on behind them. He’d thrown sand in Libertus’ face once and then socked him in the jaw so hard Lib had trouble chewing for a good week. Crowe didn’t like him either, though that was probably because of the punch he’d landed on her boyfriend., but he was a good fighter and strong.

Nyx twirled his dagger in his hand as he walked out into the sand beside Sontius. “Clean fight?” he asked, knowing the answer would probably ‘sure’ followed by the dirtiest fighting outside of Galahd. Instead he got a sneer.

A shout from Drautos started the match and Nyx dove sideways to avoid the kick that came sliding towards his face. Twisting his body, he grabbed at the booted foot and rolled, taking Sontius with him and bringing him to the ground. The other man hit hard and turned to slash his dagger out at Nyx who quickly bounced away, grinning cheerily. “Guess not!”

They clashed again, Nyx knocking the dagger away by blocking the blow with his forearm but suffered a punch to the side for his effort that staggered him for a step. Baring his teeth in a quiet snarl, he hooked his leg behind Sontius’ calf and twisted, catching the other off balance. Hands wrapped around his forearm, Nyx tilted himself so he could throw the man and suddenly he was just… gone.

Looking up, he found crystal breaking apart in his fingers and the entire arena fell quiet.

Sontius had warped.

He was standing on one of the pillars in the center of the arena, seemingly a bit shaky but the smirk that tore across his face was vicious. “What do you say Ulric? Let’s give the King a show.” He pulled his arm back and threw his dagger, the blade streaking through the air to thud into the ground at Nyx’s feet. He appeared there in a sparkle of energy and crystal dust, fist pulled back to strike.

Nyx learned several things at that moment. That Sontius was a complete bastard. That the weapons they were using were obviously already imbued with magic, and that if he didn’t move _now_ , he was going to get hurt.

He threw the dagger so it landed near the ruined walls in the center of the arena and willed himself to follow it.

The warp Drautos had forced them through when he’d been testing the recruits had been disorienting, but Nyx had managed to find his feet quickly enough. Doing it himself was worse. He lost track of where his legs were, felt like his skin was on fire when crystal burst across him and he fucking _dissolved_. The world upended, rolled and then he was on his back, breathing out hard and rolling onto his knees, hand gripping the dagger hilt he’d thrown only a second ago.

Somewhere up in the stands of the arena he heard Libertus’ voice. “Tear his shit up Nyx!”

Then Sontius was there again.

Dropping his shoulder, Nyx pushed off from the ruined wall, barreling himself into the other Glaive and taking him down to the dirt. He warped again when they both hit the ground, sending himself off to the side and out of Sontius’ range of attack. Reorienting himself took priority and he used the moment he gave himself to breathe in deep as Sontius righted himself, cursing colorfully.

They clashed again a moment later, Sontius lunging and trying to strike Nyx overhead with a hit from his daggers. Nyx reacted quickly, drawing himself up and crossing his blades so he caught the other man, but Sontius was heavier than he was and Nyx ended up kneeling, pressing one knee into the ground to keep from behind over backwards under the weight. Sontius used the position to kick Nyx in the side, a dirty move that sent Nyx tumbling sideways.

The muscles in his leg screamed a protest, but he pushed anyway, his shin catching Sontius in the back of the knee and sending him to the ground, since all of his weight was steadily pushing down on Nyx try and bend him over backwards. Sontius hissed and warped away, rolling when he hit the ground and then regained his feet. Climbing back to his feet, Nyx blew sand out of his nose and wiped the back of his hand across his cheek.

He wondered then, if perhaps the fighting was over, straightening slightly and spitting the grit from his mouth. Except it wasn’t, and Sontius waited until he’d started to ease his posture to attack. Faster than the man had right to be for someone of his build, Sontius warped one last time and came at Nyx full force. Nyx blocked one dagger, but the other in Sontius’ right hand sliced through the air and touched skin.

Nyx snarled then cursed loudly when his vision washed red, shoving Sontius backwards and stumbling a few quick steps away. Fire laced along his forehead and he reached up to touch where the blade had scored, his glove coming back red. Above them, Drautos called a halt to the fight and Nyx frowned towards Sontius who no longer had the dagger in his hand and was watching him with a smug expression that he quickly masked with ‘worry’ when the Commander approached them across the field.

“Ulric, you’re bleeding.”

“I hadn’t noticed.”

That earned him a look, but Nyx was too busy eyeing Sontius up to care. Any weapon grabbed from the rack outside the arena wouldn’t have cut him. Hell, most of them couldn’t even cut through water.

“Was it an old would that opened or something?” Drautos grumbled as he approached him, frowning.

“You should ask Bellum,” Nyx snorted, baring his teeth. “That dagger shouldn’t have been sharp enough to even leave a mark.”

Sontius shrugged his shoulders and smiled. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, Ulric.”

Nyx’s eyes narrowed, but Drautos wasn’t paying the two of them any attention. He cracked an elixir over Nyx’s head and he watched as the green sparkles rained down on him. The cut healed, but Nyx was left with blood still streaked across his face. He wondered what kind of image he struck, standing there covered in sand and now blood. He probably looked like he’d been rolling around in Leide with a Voretooth trying to kiss him.

He was using his sleeve to clean the blood out of his eye when Libertus made it to him, wrapping his arm around his neck and laughing. “You were great!”

“Would have been nicer if Sontius hadn’t cut me,” he grumbled, watching the others as they ventured away from the arena. Above them, in the stands, Regis was watching him. “Though I think in my effort to avoid the King I have only made myself a bigger target.”

“Yeah, imagine that. You’re Cor’s mate, and now you’ve up and joined his guard. What will Cor think when he gets home,” Lib teased, not noticing the stiffness that ran through Nyx’s shoulders.

“Yeah, I wonder,” Nyx murmured then paused. Originally Cor had only been planned to be gone for maybe a month, but the developments in Duscae had set him back by the gods only knew how long. He hated to admit it out loud, but he missed him. That comfortable tangle of limbs he usually woke up with, the warmth of the other man curled around him. “Let's go home, Lib.”

* * *

Home meant sleep, which Nyx was very much okay with. He curled up on his bed and tried to find a comfortable way to tangle himself up in his sheets just enough to simulate being cuddled. It didn’t work, so he just ended up face-planting his pillow and wishing death upon the world for pulling him and Cor apart.

Sighing, he curled up on his side and stared at the side of his bed that Cor usually fell asleep on. It seemed vastly empty, a wide stretch of mattress. An empty void. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine Cor there, anst instead found his mind trying to think about the fight with Sontius. Somewhere he was trying to rationalize himself being cut. A rock or something, but it kept coming back to the knife he’d hidden away to quickly. But Sontius was a dickhead and didn’t care for others in the Glaives either it seemed.

He made a mental note to tell Libertus they needed to keep an eye on him from now on. If he pulled that kind of shit on Lib he was pretty sure Crowe would show up with fire in her hands and murder in her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter didn't end like I'd originally planned, but oh well!  
> Aiming to have Cor's chapter typed up soon but it may take a bit longer. So whatever shenanigans Nyx gets up to that I can think of between now and then will be posted. (Some of his chapters might be a bit shorter as well.)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished Cor's chapter faster than I originally expected to finish it, then struggled on which to post first. You get RiM 17 first, and Cor tonight before I go to work. :P

# Chapter 17

Drautos had been deployed along with three other Glaives. Nyx and the others hadn’t gotten any relevant information about where the Commander had been sent, and Drautos had not seen it fit to share. Part of Nyx hoped the Commander had been sent out to help Cor since apparently Imperial bases were popping up across the region, according to one of his texts.

The days that followed were no different. They texted nearly every day, except for the night when Cor called him. He stayed up some nights, thinking about that call because he fucking _missed_ Cor. It was hard to admit out loud. The bed felt empty, and Nyx had resorted to cuddling pillows with little to show for it. Sleeping was a difficult matter as well. The bed felt vast, empty, and cold even though it had barely held the two of them at the same time.

When Drautos returned two and a half weeks later with a nasty sneer and a bad limp, no one asked him how his mission had gone. Most stayed the hell out of his way.

Nyx spent time between training and bartending panicking because there weren’t any texts from Cor and calling his number lead to his voicemail. Nyx filled it within an hour. After that it was always full.

If missing Cor had caused him to have trouble sleeping before, worrying about him was causing a full blown manic episode. Days at a time he would go without sleep only to pass out then wake up in a panic. The nightmares started shortly after that, and he lost all hope of sleep at all. It was the same dream, over and over. He’d wake to the house on fire and the same, toneless voice of his sister telling him he couldn’t save anyone.

He woke with his heart in his throat and a splitting headache another two weeks after Drautos had returned and still no sign of Cor. No missed calls. No new texts. Nyx stared at his phone quietly before dropping it into his pocket and heading for the stairs. He was exhausted, but there was not sleep.

Rubbing his face with his hands, he paused when he heard voices in the bar, low and mumbling. One was female, though it didn’t sound like Crowe, and it wasn’t time for the bar to open. Going cautiously, Nyx strained his hearing to catch was the voices were saying.

“He hasn’t been sleeping at all. What he gets is barely a wink before he’s up again. There’s not _anything_?” That was Libertus.

“Do you want me to lie to him?” the female voice asked, sounding angry. “I can’t do that to him.”

Nyx took the next few steps at a stumble because he knew that voice. He blinked when he rounded the corner and found Lib standing there with Monica leaning against the bar. The two of them looked up as he came to a stop. The way Monica’s mouth thinned and her eyes hardened told him what he needed to know, but he asked anyway.

“Still not back?” He tried to sound nonchalant and failed miserably. 

“No,” Monica responded, watching him as he slumped onto a stool and laid his head against the bar.

“What about the mission Drautos went on?” Lib asked, trying to sound hopeful. “No one’s heard anything from him. Maybe Cor had to go off grid again.”

“It’s possible. The commander had already made his report to Clarus and the King, but no one has said anything else. I would assume if anything had happened…” She shook her head and frowned. “As soon as I find out anything, I’ll call. Perhaps I can catch Regis today and question him.”

Nyx breathed out a low sigh. “What if I went?” he murmured. “Do you think he’d talk?”

“You’re terrified of the man,” Libertus pointed out with a frown. “You panicked right before we did the whole ceremony with him. You panicked afterwards too because you and Sontius were warping around the arena like shitheads and he saw.”

“He might know something about Cor,” Nyx hissed in return, grinding his teeth in frustration. “I don’t care how nervous the bastard makes me. He sent Cor out there. I’ll storm his fucking office if it means I’ll get answers.”

Libertus squared his shoulders when Nyx’s angry gaze landed on him, his own gaze hardening. “You’re going to put yourself in another fucking panic and lose it,” Libertus stated accusingly. “You’ve slept maybe a total of twelve hours over the past week, you expect me to believe you could handle storming into the King’s office?”

Monica moved quickly, placing herself between the two of them before punches started flying. “Both of you stop,” she ordered with steel lacing her voice. “Ulric, go get some rest. Ostium, go outside for a walk. I will call the King this moment and see if I can learn anything, but not until you both do as I say.” When both of them just stared at her she bared her teeth and actually snarled. “ _Now!_ ”

Libertus beat a hasty retreat, exiting the bar and slamming the door behind him. Nyx sulked, staying where he was for the moment and staring at the bar quietly until Monica breathed out a sigh as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. And maybe it was.

“He’s not dead, right?” Nyx blurted after a moment staring at his hands. “I’d know? I think?” He fidgeted, twisting his fingers together before he started chewing on his nails. The panic was barely contained under his skin, stretched tight and ready to snap at any moment. Beside him, Monica folded and moved closer to him.

“I don’t know, Nyx,” she answered truthfully. While she hadn’t known Nyx for long, she’d grown to like the man if only because she’d actually seen Cor smile a few times when he was nearby or when his name was mentioned. Cor she’d known forever. The light Nyx had put back into the Marshal’s eyes was enough for her to love him. “But, I don’t think he’s dead.” The look he gave her nearly tore her apart. “You should go sleep some more. You’re going to exhaust yourself.”

Nyx made a sound in the back of his throat, a mixture of desperation and annoyance. “I can’t,” he murmured then sighed, rubbing his face again. “Drautos doubled our training. We’re doing twelve hour days right now. He’s been such a shithead since he got back from… wherever he went.”

“Go lay down,” she ordered. “You and Libertus are excused from training today. I don’t care who tries to say otherwise."

“But the Commander-”

“I outrank him.”

That shut Nyx up. He stared at Monica hard. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I’m an officer appointed to Cor Leonis under direct orders by Clarus Amicitia. Titus Drautos is a Commander and leader of the Kingsglaive, true. But he also reports to Lord Amicitia. Under Amicitia’s command, I rank higher than Titus.”

Nyx stared at her. “That makes no sense.”

She laughed. “If it comes down to listening to me or listening to Drautos, Clarus will pick me every time,” she told him, and then without seemingly thinking about it, she reached out and tugged one of his braids. His reaction was unexpected. Nyx folded in on himself and Monica found herself with a clingy Galahdian, face buried into her stomach while she patted him on his head gently, trying to sooth. “Everything will be alright,” she murmured, pointedly not noticing the tremor that went through his shoulders.

She’d known Cor for years. She could only imagine what a trial it was to be soul-mated to the man.

* * *

Nyx passed out sometime after Monica left the bar. It had been morning when she was there, and when he woke up it was on the couch in the bar with Libertus sitting nearby watching TV he was sure it had only been an hour or two. When he noticed Nyx lifting his head, he gave him a little crooked smile.

“Welcome back to the world of the living.”

Nyx snorted, glanced around the room and frowned. “What time is it?”

“Nearly ten.”

“In the morning?”

Libertus snorted. “At night. You slept for a solid fifteen hours. I’m proud of you.”

Sighing and feeling like he’d been run over a truck, Nyx sat up and frowned. “Did Monica call?”

“Mhm. Didn’t find out anything new. She talked to both the King and his Shield.”

Nyx felt his shoulders slump and he stared at the TV blankly as some random show played across the screen. They lapsed into silence until Nyx finally gave in and looked over at Libertus. “I’m sorry about getting shitty before,” he murmured. “You should have punched me.”

“Was going to,” Lib said with a small smirk. “But you have the right of it. He’s been gone nearly two months now, one of which has been with complete radio silence. I’d be on edge too.” Reaching out, Libertus bumped his shoulder with his fist. “I’m here for you though, just remember that.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

* * *

The next morning was quiet as he and Libertus got ready to head to training, pulling on their uniform jackets by the bar. Lib was grabbing the keys to the car when the door opened and the two of them turned to see who was entering. Nyx honestly figured it’d be Crowe, or one of their neighbors coming to borrow something.

It was neither.

Regis Lucis Caelum the CXIII, King of Lucis, was standing just inside the front door of their small, rustic bar. He wore his usual remnant, his cape buckled off his shoulder, his cane in hand. He was looking around the place curiously and Nyx felt his heart go straight into his throat.

“Your Majesty,” Libertus said, shocked then elbowed Nyx when the King turned his gaze in their direction.

Nyx opened his mouth and _squeaked_.

Regis, in all his grace, smiled at them. “Ostium, Ulric.” He walked forward then, moving over to them. “I’ve never been here, though I have heard others talking about it. It is quite nice.” He paused near stool. “May I?”

“O-of course!” Nyx stammered then looked around. “Would you like a drink? Tea?”

“Tea would be lovely.”

“I’ve got it.” Libertus, the fucking _traitor_ , moved around the bar and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Nyx alone with the ruler of their fucking Kingdom.

Nyx clamped down on his panic, drove it backwards until it was in his stomach instead of in his throat. “I never expected to see you here,” he murmured, still staring at the man wide-eyed. “Honestly, I figured you’d stay far away from this area.”

“Because they don’t like me?” the King questioned then laughed when Nyx stammered and tried to correct himself. “I know the Galahdian’s share little love for me, Nyx. It’s alright. I told Cor once that I’d like to visit here and he called me an idiot. I suppose now is as good a time as any.”

“I don’t hate you, sir,” Nyx said with a frown.

“Not yet.”

Libertus arrived with the tea and placed it on the counter after pouring some for the three of them, offering the first cup to the King. Nyx didn’t touch his, not able to swallow around the lump that had quickly formed in his throat after the King’s last comment. “To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit, your Majesty?” Libertus asked instead, giving Nyx a sideways look when all he did was sit there, ramrod straight.

Regis took a sip of tea first before he placed the cup down and stared into it. “Two weeks ago, when Drautos returned,” he started, his voice solemn. “His mission was to venture into Ravatogh and take out the Imperial Base that was there. After he took it out, he was to rendezvous with Leonis and take out any remaining Imperials. I sent him after I got word from Cor that other bases had popped up in Duscae.” He fiddled with the handle of the cup quietly.

“Your Majesty,” Nyx whispered, finally finding his voice. Regis’ green eyes lifted to meet his, staring at him quietly. “What did he find?”

The King’s mouth thinned and he looked away. “I’m sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so ya'll know.  
> It hurt me to write these.
> 
> If anyone's interested, I made a [[Twitter](https://twitter.com/FanfictionRei)] for writing updates, I don't know why. It seemed like a way to keep in contact with anyone interested. -shrug-


	18. Chapter 18

# Chapter 18

“There were several troops of MTs,” Regis murmured as Nyx held onto his cup, hands shaking. “And an MA-X Angelus, one of the newer models, a Type-0. Amongst those he found two of Cor’s group dead.”

“But no sign of Cor,” Libertus stated pointedly, glancing at Nyx. “He could still be out there.”

Nyx stared at his cup, willing himself to disappear because he could hear the hesitation in the King’s voice. He didn’t _want_ to say anything else. He wanted to leave that little spark of hope in Nyx’s heart.

“Drautos found his katana,” the King finally finished with a sigh. “It was snapped in half.”

Libertus didn’t say anything else.

Nyx got up and left the bar.

* * *

He walked.

He walked until his feet were raw and then he walked some more.

He didn’t remember choosing which way, just that he walked, his feet following some unknown path because that’s what they wanted. He walked far, _far_ away. From the bar, from the house, from the city, from the thoughts, the memories. But he couldn’t walk away from the pain that laced through his chest and kept him from breathing.

He walked.

He walked until someone called his name, and then he stared into hazel eyes and tried to figure out how to tell him the one man that had probably seen him as a father figure was possibly dead. Because he’d walked from fucking Insomnia all the way to Hammerhead in Leide.

He stared at Cid, because he didn’t have words at the moment. His jaw worked, his mouth moved, but no sound came out.

“Is he alright?” Cindy’s voice was light to his ears, but worried as she peered over Cid’s shoulder at him. 

Nyx tried, he really did try to answer. To tell them he was perfectly fine. But he wasn’t fine, and he couldn’t answer.

“Shock, I think,” Cid mumbled. “Let’s get ‘im inside.”

He was lead inside and up the stairs to an area over the garage that seemed to be where Cid and Cindy actually lived. It was a small space, but served its purpose. Cindy left to the kitchen for tea while Cid sat in a chair across from the sofa he’d been shown to. 

“Nyx.” His name sounded so funny coming from Cid’s mouth. He tried to answer but still nothing. He felt his jaw tremble slightly, open then close again. Cid frowned, stood up and went to the kitchen. “Cindy, why don’t you go over and see if they have any tow orders for today,” he murmured to his granddaughter. “I’ll take care of him.”

Cindy seemed hesitant, but eventually agreed and left from the room.

When Cid returned it was with a glass of whiskey instead of tea. “Drink that,” he ordered and Nyx obeyed quietly.

It burned going down his throat. Tore away whatever was numbing it and drowned it in his stomach. He set the glass down on the table and stared at it for a moment before lifting his gaze back up to meet Cid’s.

“Better?”

“No.”

Cid snorted. “It’s a start. What are you doing out here, son?”

Nyx nearly froze up again, his breath catching in a little hitch.

“You join the Glaives?” Cid asked, changing the subject and catching Nyx a bit off guard. He blinked, glanced down at the uniform he had forgotten he’d put on and slowly nodded. “Did Cor put ya up to it?” When Nyx froze up again, Cid slid forward in his chair, eyes intent. “What happened?”

“Is there a way to tell,” he murmured, staring Cid straight in the eye. “To tell when your other half dies?”

Cid stared at him then snorted. “Cor?” When Nyx nodded, Cid snorted again. “He ain’t dead.”

“How do you know?”

“The sun’s still in the sky, ain’t it?” Cid snapped back, frowning. “That boy ain’t dyin’ until the world ends.”

Nyx wished that were true. He wished a lot of things were true, but he’d had too many things ripped away from him to think that anyone was truly immortal. “Cid-”

“Listen to me,” Cid interrupted him. “I don’t know what happened, but you obviously ain’t sure or you wouldn’t be here askin’.” He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “He’s alive until you stop believin’ he is, ya hear? You keep thinkin’ he’ll come home, because the moment you give up is the moment he does too.”

Nyx fell silent, staring at the table where his glass sat. He stayed quiet, letting his mind settle before he launched into the story. He explained everything he knew, from the bases to Cor’s disappearance nearly two months ago. When he was finished, Cid was silent, staring at his hands and then shook his head.

“He may have gotten himself into some trouble, but” he looked up at Nyx, face determined. “I can tell you he’s not dead.”

“Is it.. The aura thing Cor told me about?” Nyx asked hesitantly, unsure of himself or how to really broach the subject, but needing to know at the same time.

Cid seemed surprised and first then nodded. “He told ya about that, huh?” When Nyx nodded he sighed. “You’d know,” he told him again. “It’s different for everybody, depends on the bond ya got, but you’d know.” His smile turned weary and sad. “When my wife died, I felt it… Suffered the same death she did, only I survived it and she didn’t…” He trailed off and frowned, looking down at his own hands. “Some jackass ran her off the road, her car hit the water and… She didn’t know how to swim.” Looking back up, Cid stared at Nyx pointedly. “Afterwards, there’s black spots all over you. Can still see the color, but it’s streaked with black and hard to see. See ‘em from time to time, but most don’t live through the death of their other half.”

Nyx wasn’t sure what to say, staring quietly at Cid with a new found respect. “What kept you going?” he asked quietly.

“Cindy needed somebody… and,” he smiled a little crookedly. “There was this rather stubborn fifteen-year-old Reggie’s daddy stumbled across a few years prior…”

“Cor…”

Cid snorted. “I didn’t say the lil’ shit’s name, so he can’t get mad at me later.” Then Cid grinned. “Want to hear a story?”

Nyx sat up straight. “ _Yes_.”

* * *

Cor, it turned out, had been a massive little shithead in his younger years. He’d been raised in a relatively normal family, but had managed to join the military at thirteen, which Nyx was going to be sure to mention and then _hit him for_ , because what the fuck.

“It was probably because he was so tall and lanky,” Cid told him with a slight smirk. “Even at fifteen the boy looked like he was twenty. Aside from him being a little shit, though I guess I can’t really call him ‘little’. The asshole was taller than I was even then.”

Picturing Cor in military fatigues, all lank and stern-faced was hard to do. When he mentioned that, Cid turned around and found a picture. “There he is,” he murmured, pointing to a man in a green uniform. Nyx took the photo from him and stared really hard because if you added a few stress lines here and there, and ignored the slight sneer on the man - _boy’s_ \- face, it was like staring at a clone. Only it was a younger version of Cor.

“Holy shit.”

Cid chuckled softly. “Had a thing for food too.”

“He still does,” Nyx murmured, feeling a little pang go through him.

“Takka loved him, he could cook anything and Cor would eat it.”

At that name, Nyx paused and looked up. “Takka… the Pit Stop?”

Cid arched one grey eyebrow. “Yeah, what about it? Ya hungry?”

“It’s still open?”

The old man snorted and stood up. “Come along then.”

* * *

Takka’s Pit Stop was nearly the same as it had always been. Nyx stared at it in wonder because it had been nearly ten years and he hadn’t realized the place was still there. He’d thought about checking, but never had, not even when he’d been out this way a few months ago. His mind had been on other things.

“I didn’t even realize,” he murmured to Cid as they walked towards the diner. “That the garage was in use back then.”

Cid chuckled. “I knew Takka had two kids doing some work for ‘im, but I never met ‘em.”

When they walked through the door and the man behind the counter turned to greet them, he stopped, stared and then came around the counter. “Nyx? _Nyx_?”

Nyx gave him a small little smile and a wave. “Hey, Takka.”

Takka grabbed him by the shoulders, looking him up and down and beamed a smile at him that could have lit a dark night with no moon. “I’ll be damned,” he laughed. “You went from scrawny little shit to bult. All those chores I had you running were good for ya!” He shoved him towards a stool, looking at Cid. “Where did you find him? Hell,” he turned his attention back to Nyx. “You and Libertus ran off to Insomnia so fast ya barely said ‘goodbye’ and then I never saw you two again. You can stop by, ya know!”

The smile continued tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I’ll tell Lib, we’ll come by to visit soon.”

“Damn well better.”

Nyx opened his mouth to ask if Takka was still serving up his famous jambalaya when his phone screeched to life, playing some aggressive tune. Fumbling with his coat, Nyx found the pocket it was in and pulled it out, staring down at the screen. Monica’s name lit display and he felt a lump form in his throat. He answered it without a second thought. “Hello?”

_“Nyx,”_ came the sigh of relief in a voice that was very much not Monica’s.

“Lib?”

A sheepish laugh. _“Yeah, I wasn’t sure you’d answer if I called you.”_

“I would have,” he snorted, then thought about it. He would have answered it, but maybe not as quickly. He felt a little guilty about that realization. “Is everything okay?”

_“I don’t know,”_ Libertus murmured. _“You tell me.”_

Nyx stopped himself from making a lame retort and actually thought about what Libertus was asking him. “I think so,” he said truthfully. “Not completely, but I’m not leaning over a cliff edge or anything.”

_“Promise?”_

“I’m in Leide at Takka’s. He’s right in front of me if you want to verify.”

Libertus sputtered across the phone. _“You walked out of here, the car is still in the garage, I checked.”_

“Yeah, it took me a while.”

“He’s learnin’ Cor’s bad habits. It happens,” Cid said loud enough for Libertus to hear over the phone, which started a whole new line of questions that Nyx found himself explaining.

Once he’d given Libertus the rundown and a general idea of where he was and who all was there, Libertus seemed to settle down. “Sorry if I worried you,” Nyx murmured. “I guess I needed some air.”

_“Air my ass, you looked like death had just left a husk sitting there. And then it got up and just walked off. Don’t ever do that again,”_ he snapped. _“I’m taping Cor to you when he gets back. Stitching you two together and then locking you in a room because I swear to the Six if that happens again I’m killing you both.”_

Part of Nyx recognized what Libertus was doing and appreciated it. Maybe he knew now that Cor wasn’t dead, but they still didn’t know where he was or if he was okay. Libertus was making it sound like a sure thing, but he didn’t know Nyx was already at least a little more at ease.

_“Listen,”_ Lib started over the phone, pulling Nyx out of his thoughts. _“The King’s waiting for you to come back. Apparently something new turned up. He wanted you to come to the Citadel, hospital wing.”_ He paused for a second before quickly adding, _“it’s not Cor, Nyx. But it might be helpful.”_

“I’ll head there now,” he said as he stood up and glanced outside. It was already starting to get dark out. “Might be a while.”

“I’ve got ‘im,” Cid snorted. “I’ll drive ya across the bridge to the checkpoint, that’s as far as I’m goin’.”

“That’s further than you’ve been in years,” Takka commented then smiled. “That’s an accomplishment.”

Cid snorted and didn’t look at the cook. “Shaddup. I’m only doin’ it for the boy.” Then he was up and walking out the door.

* * *

Nyx got from Hammerhead almost all the way into the city within the hour. Riding with Cid was terrifying and he vowed to never do it again even as he thanked the man and hurried past the gates and into the city proper. He showed his badge and hurried across town, breaking out into a dead run once he was on the main street heading for the Citadel. He was out of breath as he came closer to the doors, ripping his badge from his pocket and presenting it to the guard there.

“Ulric?” the man asked, looking him over. When Nyx nodded he handed him a slip of paper that had a room number on it.

Pocketing it, Nyx took off again, skirting a crowd leaving the building and jamming himself into an elevator. The medical wing of the actual Citadel wasn’t that many floors up, starting on the sixth and going to the tenth. The floors below that were offices. After the medical floors were the barracks, anyone staffed in the Citadel, especially Crownsguard and Kingsglaive were given rooms there unless they already had housing. Past those were the offices of the Kingsglaive officers and Commander, and above that was the offices for the Crownsguard. The private floors started after that, where the King and his family lived.

Nyx checked the room number and got off on the ninth floor, stopping at the nurses desk. She made a quick call before looking up at him. “He’s already there, just knock.”

Telling himself not to run, Nyx took off at a brisk walk that was probably more jog than anything. No one asked him to stop, so he quickened his pace until he found the room he was looking for. He barely knocked before the door opened and he found himself face to face with Clarus Amicitia, the King’s Shield.

“Ulric.”

“Lord Amicitia.”

They stared at each other for a moment, before a voice behind Clarus started fussing. “Let him in, you big lout or I’ll hit you.” Clarus rolled his eyes and stepped back, allowing Nyx entrance and the sight of the King who was dressed it what could only be his pajamas.

“Um… Your Majesty,” Nyx murmured then gave a slight bow, trying to be respectful. Regis just snorted and sat back down in his chair, the Moogle Carnival shirt and black lounge pants the absolute least Kingly thing Nyx had ever seen.

Regis didn’t say anything more to Nyx, instead turned his attention towards the bed that was sitting off to the side in the room. “Alright, explain again what happened.”

Nyx turned and nearly fell over because Luche Lazarus, a man he hadn’t seen since the incident in the bar was laid up in the bed looking sullen and prickly. Beside him sat Tredd Furia who was openly staring at him with his jaw slightly slack. Luche turned his gaze on Nyx, snorted and then looked back at Tredd.

“You are the luckiest bastard I have ever met,” he informed the red-head. “Leonis should have skinned you.”

“I didn’t fucking know!” Tredd whined then looked at Nyx with something that bordered on self-loathing. “I’m sorry.”

Whatever he’d been expecting, it sure as hell wasn’t this. But the punch was seven months in the past and Nyx couldn’t give a Kajuta’s steamy shit about it anymore. “Don’t worry about it, what’s going on?” He was confused. Why was he here for these two?

“We,” Luche started, pointing to himself and then Tredd. “Were part of the group that accompanied Leonis into Cleigne.” He frowned. “It was a shit show. The checkpoint was fortified poorly, but after we split up and started the attack, reinforcements came. They dropped an Angelus-0 on us.”

“Luche got hit,” Tredd explained. “I rushed in to pull him out and nearly got turned into swiss cheese. Cor was handling the Armor so I tried to get Luche to stop bleeding, but every time I patched one hole and used an Elixir, another would pop open.” Tredd looked down at his hands, wringing them quietly. “I was going to go back and help, but I was trying to keep Luche alive.”

“It’s alright,” Nyx found himself saying, and cringed a bit when four sets of eyes landed on him. “Cor would have rathered you try to save Luche than dive back into battle and leave him to bleed out.”

Tredd worked his jaw for a moment before he took a deep breathe. “General Glacua showed up.” Nyx felt cold ice rush through his veins as Tredd spoke. “I watched Cor hack a piece of his armor off and it just… _grew back_.” He paused and glanced at Regis. “There was no way we could defeat someone like that, your Majesty. I saw him cut down Luca… She had a shield up and he just cut through it and straight through her…” He gave a little shudder and looked down.

“They were jamming signals,” Luche picked up the tale, letting Tredd recede into himself. “They were looking for survivors of the attack because dropships kept coming in and dropping off more troops. It took us a while to get past the wall and back into Duscae. The jam lasts about half way in. After we got a spot we could make a call, we called for evac.” He glanced at Nyx who stood stock still, staring at the window on the opposite wall of the room. “I didn’t see Cor or Pelna. I can’t tell you if they got out for sure or not, but knowing Leonis he’s on his way back… likely he got stuck like we did for a while. Couldn’t even breathe without a Niff getting close.”

“He’s alive,” Nyx said with so much conviction even he found himself believing it, because the alternative was believing he was gone and Cid had told him that wasn’t an option. “The moment we give up on him is the moment he gives up too,” he murmured, echoing Cid’s words to him from earlier. He turned and walked out the door, Regis’ eyes boring holes into his back as he left.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck it.  
> I’m half asleep and I proofread it, but there’s probably errors.  
> Enjoy your CorNyx mush.  
> I love you guys.
> 
> Read [Side Quest Unlocked chapter 10](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18565894/chapters/44461513) first before proceeding.

# Chapter 19

Drautos was an utter shithead, Nyx realized as he stood up and wiped blood from his mouth. Still limping and carrying around a foul temper because of it, Drautos had made Nyx his new favorite punching bag, probably because Nyx always seemed to bounce right back.

The Commander was not gentle, if anything he was worse than Axis and Sontius combined. Those two did a lot of snarling and posturing. Drautos didn’t make a sound, he just waited until after you’d eaten dirt half a dozen times before calling you pathetic.

It irked Nyx to no end really, that the man could have a hurt leg and _still_ knock him down.

“Either you start using those evasion techniques you learned, Ulric,” Drautos snapped, “or I’m going to hit you so hard you forget what day it is.”

“I think you already did that, Sir,” Nyx snarled back as he righted himself.

“Then I suggest you catch up.”

Nyx fought fair, usually. He fought fair when he faced off against Josef. He fought fair when he fought Elea, hell he fought fair when he faced Axis. He didn’t fight fair against Libertus and he sure as hell didn’t fight fair against Sontius.

Now Drautos had the honor of being put on that list.

“Alright,” Nyx huffed, feeling his lip curl slightly. Then he lunged.

Drautos wasn’t interested in all at his attack, raising the cane he used to help him move around until his leg healed more and shoved it into Nyx’s face, but this time Nyx ducked backwards, crystalline dust appearing where his head had been moments ago as he dropped into a crouch and swept his leg.

The Commander dropped like a sack of shit because Nyx was an asshole and he rightly did not _give a solitary fuck_ at the moment.

“Huh, guess those dodges don’t always work.”

Drautos stared up at Nyx who didn’t bother offering him a hand and instead stood there staring down at him. He stared and then he cracked a sadistic smile that probably should have scared the living shit out of Nyx, but it didn’t. “I like you Ulric. You and your friend, Libertus. You fight dirty when you need to and don’t give a piss who gets angry.” Moving carefully, Drautos regained his feet. “That’s what we need more of, when fighting out there. I don’t need someone that will pull punches because they think someone might get hurt in the crossfire.”

Nyx frowned because he wasn’t all that sure he was okay with this odd praise.

“In a month,” Drautos continued. “I should be back on my feet. Until then, keep training, Sontius seems to be the best match for you. Spar with him. Once I’m back on my feet you and I are going to really get to know each other.”

“That sounds really gross.”

Drautos grinned at him like a Voretooth would its next meal before limping off.

* * *

“He’s really starting to creep me out,” Libertus mumbled when Nyx approached him, having been watching the little test while off to the side. “He keeps prodding until you get pissed off.”

“I think he’s doing it so I will get pissed off,” Nyx grumbled, frowning. “To make me do things I wouldn’t normally do to a man that’s fighting with a damn cane.”

Libertus frowned. “Maybe just… start fighting dirty instead of waiting? Get him going out of the gate.”

“No, he’ll expect that next time. No I’ll hold back, I’m curious as to where all of this is going.” Was it weird that he was okay with getting his ass handed to him a few times? He hoped he hadn't stumbled onto some weird hangup. The fact it was Drautos made it _weirder_.

* * *

“Every Sunday,” Nyx said as he looked at the calendar hanging in the bar. “We’re never busy those days, and we could just close up. Crowe can come with us.”

“And Cor when he comes back.”

Nyx paused and glanced at Lib, giving him a small, strained smile. “Yeah. Cor too.”

It was hard, to keep from losing hope with each day that passed without word from Cor. Luche and Tredd had been back for nearly four days now, but there still wasn’t any change. Drautos was still being an asshole to him, like he had some kind of personal vendetta, and Nyx just really needed a break. Both mentally and physically.

“Sunday’s are good,” LIb agreed, resting his chin on his fist where he sat at the bar. “We’re usually all free. No training, and unless Crowe is working a mission that’s one of her days off.” The other was Monday, which she usually spent helping them at the bar.

Moving over to the sign where they kept the bar hours, Nyx erased the numbers for Sunday and wrote “CLOSED” in large, capital letters. It would take a few Sunday’s of them being closed for their regulars to get used to it. He’d make sure to make a bigger sign announcing the change and hang it on the front door.

“Have you talked to Tredd recently?” Libertus asked as he twisted in the stool to watch Nyx move. “He’s been acting like a damn kicked puppy since they got back. What the hell did you say?”

Nyx sighed and rolled his eyes. “I fucking forgave him already but he’s terrified Cor is going to appear like the vengeful angel of death and take him out. I told him he’s being overly dramatic, begged Luche to make him stop, but that man is getting some weird sick pleasure out of watching him scuttle around me. It makes me want to hit them both.”

Libertus was laughing now, holding the bar to keep from falling off the stool. “How’d they even figure it out?”

“Apparently,” Nyx grumbled as he replaced the sign in the window. “When the King was talking to them about what happened, he mentioned Cor had a soulmate. They didn’t know, though they said they’d heard Pelna mention it. They never really paid attention. So of course Regis doesn’t tell them anything, just that he’s in the Kingsglaive, a new recruit, and that Cor is _highly protective of him_. And then I walked in. Uniform and all.”

The laughter grew harder and Lib had to lay his head down on the bar top. “Oh god.”

“So now I have Tredd acting like my shadow guardian or something,” Nyx grumbled. “I guess he’s hoping I’ll tell Cor not to skin him.”

“Cor would have done that by now if he wanted to.”

Nyx shrugged. “That’s what I told him.” He headed upstairs then, going to the office to make a quick sign detailing the new hours. Writing out “Now Closed On Sunday” in capitals along the top, he wrote the hours for Monday through Saturday below that, even though most would know that anyway. Below he heard the door open and Crowe’s voice floated through the house, making him smile slightly when he heard the happy note in Lib’s voice as he greeted her.

On his way back down the stairs, his phone buzzed in his back pocket. Praying it wasn’t Drautos demanding he come to the arena so Sontius could be thrown at him, he pulled it from his pocket and peered down at the name on the front.

He nearly fell when he froze midstep.

Crowe and Lib who’d been talking at the bar paused and stared at him as his phone buzzed a second time. “What’s wrong Nyx? Is it Drautos again?”

Nyx stared at the phone as it buzzed a third time, his heart jumping into his throat as he stared at the screen then slowly looked up at Libertus and Crowe, his eyes wide.

Libertus got off the stool and walked to the bottom of the stairs, frown on his face. Crowe joined him, going up a step more towards him. The phone buzzed a fourth time and Nyx pressed the accept icon, carefully pressing the phone to his ear. His chest hurt, his heart thudded and his head swam a little. He was so close to breaking, dangling by just a thread because this could be one of two things.

“Cor?” He sounded so hopeful, he realized, his voice a whisper against the phone. He watched as Crowe and Lib’s eyes widened and Libertus took another step closer, a light like hope shining in his eyes.

_”[I love you.]”_

“Oh shit,” Lib murmured and caught him when the phone slipped out of his hand and he nearly dove headfirst down the stairs. He swayed and found himself sitting on the steps as Crowe grabbed his phone up.

“Who the fuck-” She stopped and listened to the voice over the phone. _Cor’s voice._ “Yeah, he’s ok, I think he nearly passed out.” She glanced at him, looking him up and down. “He’s fine, Lib caught him.” Pulling the phone from her ear, she tilted her head. “Do you want to talk to hi-”

Nyx practically ripped the phone away from her. “You huge, fucking, piece of shit, asshole - are you ok? I’m going to kill you. I’m going to strangle you, revive you and strangle you again.” His eyes felt hot, blurry and he was bordering on tears he knew that, but he didn’t let them fall, refused to. “I’m going to kick you in the head.”

_”I wouldn’t do that. Pelna thinks I have a concussion.”_

_”You do, you fucking idiot.”_

Nyx closed his eyes, breathed in deep and let it out slow. “Where are you? Do we need to come get you? I can get there as fast as I can. Illegally. I will fucking steal a car and drive very fast.”

Cor chuckled, paused to grunt then sighed. _”We’re in Burbost at the moment. But there’s a truck coming from Lestallum to pick us up. We’ll be there within the hour. Don’t worry, as soon as we get there we’re going-”_

_”To the fucking hospital,”_ Pelna interrupted from nearby over the phone. _”Don’t you glare at me. I don’t care if Nyx can hear me. Your boyfriend has broken and cracked bones!”_

Nyx breathed out hard. “Oh my god.” He stared straight ahead, something hot building up along the back of his neck that he finally recognized as anger. “I’m going to kill him.”

_”Me?”_

Nyx hissed softly, the anger seeping into his voice when he spoke. “Glauca.”

Cor fell silent, and Nyx could make out the sound of muffled voices further behind him. _”We’re heading to Lestallum now,”_ Cor told him after a moment. _”I’ll talk to you there.”_ Another pause and then a little quieter. _”I got your messages.”_

Nyx felt his face go hot. “I was a little upset.”

_”I noticed.”_

“Delete the voicemails. I didn’t mean to fill up the box. I panicked.”

A soft snort came over the phone, and Nyx heard the distinct sound of a car door being opened then closed. _”I’m listening to every single one.”_

Nyx whined because Cor was being embarrassing and he wasn’t there to punch him in the jaw yet.

* * *

Lestallum was about a four hour drive from Insomnia with good traffic and a driver that obeyed the speed limit. Nyx would have made it in two hours. Crowe claimed she could make it in one.

Libertus drove.

The King, Clarus and Monica actually followed behind them, keeping pace with Libertus’ steady speed until the King fucking _passed them_. Crowe found it hilarious, Libertus had just glared. Nyx had threatened bodily harm to them both if Regis reached Cor first.

“Why’d you almost faint, by the way?” Crowe asked as he peered into the backseat at him. “Did he say something or was it just because you were so happy?”

Nyx felt heat hit his face and quickly looked out the window. “I was just happy to hear him,” he murmured, glancing at Crowe from the corner of his eye. She was staring at him like she didn’t believe him at all. It wasn’t a complete lie, though. He had been overjoyed to hear Cor’s voice. It was instantly calming. But hearing his voice for the first time in months say something he’d never thought he’d hear the damn man say had been a bit of a shock to the system.

“Uh-huh. I’ll find out,” she murmured before settling back into her seat.

“Good luck.”

* * *

The hospital in Lestallum was set close to the power plant so that if need be, they could reroute all the power to it to keep it going. In emergencies the hospital took priority. They kept large lights going out front to keep any monsters away, the larger of beasts being braver, which is what the Hunters were for.

They parked outside the building and Nyx nearly tore the backseat apart trying to clamber out because fuck Regis and his short legs, Nyx had a ten-mile long stride compared to that man. He also wasn’t too proud to fucking run his ass off.

No one stopped him, and when he gave Cor’s name at the desk the nurse just smiled and pointed him in the direction of the room. He didn’t run so much as he flew across the ground, nearly sliding past the door on the tile floor. He heard his name just as he entered and stared as Pelna stood up, gave him a lopsided grin and sat back down.

Cor was sitting up in the bed looking annoyed until their eyes met and then everything was perfectly alright. He relaxed and even gave Nyx a little smile. “No punching. Yet.”

“You…” Nyx’s jaw trembled and he clenched his teeth together to stop it. “You big, fucking, dumbass idiot.” To his own horror, he sniffed as he walked closer and crouched beside the bed near Cor’s hip, staring at him. “I fucking hate you.”

“I know.”

“You’re horrible.”

“I know.”

Nyx folded his arms on the edge of the bed and buried his face into them, because if he didn’t he was going to keep saying stupid things or start crying, he wasn’t sure which. Fingers tunneled into his hair, following the shape of his scalp and Nyx felt the tension run out of him like melted wax.

“ _Is tú mo ghrá._ ” Nyx whispered against the mattress because he hadn’t been able to tell his mother, his sister or his father those words before he’d lost them. He’d be damned if he ever let Cor out of his life without him hearing them back. “ _Cúl Tóna._ ”

Cor’s fingers stilled in his hair. “Did you just call me a dickhead?” His hand started the motion again, massaging his scalp in slow, rhythmic circles.

“Yes,” Nyx grumbled and closed his eyes as the door opened and the rest of the group came in. No one said anything about him practically cuddled up to Cor’s hip or the fact that Cor had his fingers tangled in his hair. They just started asking questions that Cor and Pelna both answered.

Nyx didn’t care to listen. Cor was home and that’s all that mattered.


	20. Chapter 20

# Chapter 20

After their ‘vacation’ in Lestallum it was jointly decided they should head back home. Despite having a busted shoulder and somewhat useless arm at the moment, Cor still had work. Even if it was only paperwork. Nyx also felt bad leaving Libertus to run the bar alone, and of course the whole ‘Kingsglaive’ thing that he _still hadn’t mentioned to Cor_. It hadn’t really come up during their time in Lestallum, and now it just felt awkward and he was honestly a little worried about what Cor would think. Sure he’d said he’d support him but he probably hadn’t expected him to run off and join while he was out on a mission risking his _fucking life_.

He sighed as he looked out of the rear window of the car they were in. The landscape was whisking by and Nyx was desperately trying to figure out how he was going to tell Cor before Drautos started pounding on him again. Libertus had been running interference on his behest, but that only went so far. Now that they were going to be back in Insomnia and Cor was going to be at the Citadel, he was likely to find out about it much _much_ faster.

Nyx’s only option was to tell him before they got back.

“Something wrong?”

Nyx nearly jumped out of the window when Cor’s voice piped up beside him, the man looking up from the book he’d been reading. Pelna was driving and had tricked both of them into the backseat. To start it had been so he could tease them or make comments about pulling over if they started making out in the backseat. Nyx had flipped him off and Cor had called him a ‘shithead’.

“No,” Nyx said quickly as he turned his gaze over to the Marshal. “Just thinking I enjoyed taking it easy for a bit.”

Pelna snorted from the front seat. “You realize you can take a vacation now and then, right? It’s not something reserved for when someone gets hurt.”

Nyx frowned and leaned forward so he could pop his head through the front seats. “Just because Lib and I stay busy doesn’t mean-” Pelna planted his palm against Nyx’s face and pushed him back into the backseat, earning a low chuckle from Cor.

“You laugh,” Pelna huffed. “But for as long as I’ve been going to that bar, it is open _every night_. They don’t stop, Cor! And now they have Crowe in on it, poor girl.”

“She enjoys it!” Nyx huffed then pouted. “Besides, we made some changes recently…” He paused, giving Cor a sideways glance. “When Lib and I were moving to Insomnia, we didn’t have the money to move right away so we lived out on a Haven in Leide and did odd jobs for a guy at this little gas station restaurant. I found out not long ago that the same guy is there _and_ it’s attached to Cid’s garage. So Lib and I decided to make it a ritual to start going on Sunday to visit. We get to catch up with Takka and Cid gets company.”

Cor made a sound in the back of his throat and raised an eyebrow. “Cid wants company? I find that hard to believe.”

“Actually, he seemed to rather enjoy it last time I was there… But then again, last time I was there I was a bit…” he paused, searching for the right word. “Distraught? I was pretty sure you were dead and I didn’t know how to handle it, so I walked and ended up Leide?”

Cor stared at him quietly because they hadn’t discussed any of this while in Lestallum and Nyx got the distinct impression that Cor either wanted to box his ears or hug him.

“I went and talked to Cid,” he finished lamely, giving a little shrug.

“You,” Cor said slowly, watching him intensely. “Walked all the way to _Hammerhead_.”

“..Yes?”

“Because you thought I died.”

Nyx huffed. “I was kind of in the middle of a mental breakdown, Cor. I’m not sure exactly what you wanted me to-” he stopped because Cor leaned across the space between them, grabbed the back of his head and kissed him. Nyx floundered for a moment before just falling into him, letting himself melt just the smallest bit.

In the front seat, Pelna made a gagging sound. “Can’t you two wait until we get home? Ya had a fuckin’ week.”

Cor broke off kissing him to shoot Pelna a glare while Nyx swayed just a little bit in the seat because, holy _shit_.

“One day,” Cor told Pelna, frowning mightily. “You’ll find your mate, and there will be _no_ peace for either of you.”

Pelna grinned, eyes glittering. “I look forward to it, Marshal.”

* * *

Nyx had dozed off at some point, the low rumble of the car, the gentle sway as Pelna took curves at a leisurely pace. The low music that played from the speakers. At some point he’d let himself slide a bit and his head had ended up on Cor’s shoulder, not that Cor seemed to mind since he was dutifully reading his book, and maybe enjoying how Nyx would nuzzle a bit closer when the car would sway gently to go around another curve.

That was until he was nearly propelled into the front seat when Pelna slammed on breaks.

“What the fuck, Pelna!” Nyx hissed, listening to Cor cursing beside him because the seat belt had caught on his bad shoulder.

It would have to wait.

“We’ve got a problem,” Pelna murmured and Nyx stared out of the windshield with a frown. Imperial dropships hovered above the road a ways off, the backs already opening to drop troops of MTs out along the road. “Where the fuck did they come from.”

“Can we turn around?” Nyx asked, watching as another dropship dropped a load of soldiers onto the ground below followed by a set of Magitek Armor.

Pelna turned the wheel and jammed the car into reverse but the armor was already hefting its rocket launcher into place, aiming for the car. Spitting a nasty curse, he turned to look at the two of them. “Out, now!”

With a hiss, Nyx shoved Cor out of the quickly opened door, ripping the seat belt out of its buckle. They practically fell out of the door while Nyx hooked his arm through Cor’s and did the only logical thing in the world he could think to do. Stretching his fingers out and curling them back inwards, he felt the weight of one of his kukirs form against his palm. Arching his arm back, he threw it as far as he could and tugged Cor with him as he shoved himself forward and into the warp.

He reformed several yards away from the car, Cor sitting on the ground with him hovering a breath in front of him. He gulped because there were half a dozen questions in Cor’s very sharp gaze but he ignored the scream in the back of his head. “Stay.” The order fell out of his mouth before he could think about it and then he was warping away to where Pelna had warped away from the car, staring back at the burning wreckage even as the Imperial troops advanced.

Pelna gave him an appraising look. “I see you’ve been busy, Ulric.”

“Yeah well,” he grumbled, watching as the armor stomped closer angrily. “I guess Cor and I do stupid shit went left to our own devices.”

“I’d agree, but this development makes you about one-hundred percent more useful than he is at the moment.”

“I’ll be sure to pass that on.”

Pelna grinned at him then looked forward. “Armor first. Get in, take it down, get out. Its weak spots are the joints in its legs. Fire and ice, you good with either?”

“Fire.”

“Alright.” He cracked his knuckles and grinned. “Round two ya fuckers. Let’s go!” Holding up his arm, he grinned as a lance materialized out of blue dust over his head, landing in his palm.

Nyx summoned his other kukri and followed Pelna as the man warped across the street and into a crowd of MTs. Nyx darted past him, jumping and landing on an MT and burying his kukri into its chest, watching it twitch wildly before the red light on its chest started beeping. Ripping the blade away, he warped closer to the Armor, ignoring the explosion that went off behind him as the MT erupted into fire and sparks.

The armor wasn’t huge; big, but not as big as some of the ones they’d been shown during their training sessions. It must have been an older model as well because its joints were exposed and Nyx grinned when he jammed the blade of one kukri into the things joint. Wrapping his hand around the hydraulic, Nyx focused magic into his hand, watching as fire erupted along his fingers to twist against the metal. When it was hot enough and burning red, he yanked his hand back and kicked the metal, watching with satisfaction as it bent under the pressure.

Behind him, Pelna was dodging shots and zipping across the road to sink his lance into the guts of different troopers as they tried to stop him, spearing two at a time in some cases and then jumping away from the weapon as they exploded. Oddly enough he seemed to be enjoying himself, but Nyx couldn’t concentrate on what the other man was doing while the stupid armor was trying desperately to point its gun in his direction.

Pulling his blade from the joint, Nyx tossed it in the air, hooking it into the metal of the things back and warped up to it, climbing up its back like he was back home in Galahd climbing trees. Scrambling up the hunk of junk’s back plating, Nyx tried to reach for the cords that sent signals to the rocket launchers on the things back, only to have it spin and nearly throw him off. Giving it a kick didn’t really _do_ anything to it, but it made Nyx feel a little better.

Finding the cords, Nyx chopped through them and sighed with the mechanical whirl that sounded from the launchers near his head stopped. At least now he didn’t have to worry about those hitting Cor or Pelna. Or causing him to go deaf if they fired while he was on the things back.

Using his blades to secure himself to the top of the armor, Nyx looked for his next target, found it in a MT bannerman and launched his kukri at it. The blade made a satisfying ‘thunk’ when it hit the machine’s chest and Nyx quickly followed it, landing with his feet on the midsection of the trooper and forcing it backwards while yanking his blade free. It twitched angrily as Nyx made his way back to the armor going back for its legs again.

With its missiles out of commission, Pelna had an easier time taking on the foot soldiers. “Swap ya?” he asked when Nyx found himself back to back with him, a grin stretching his mouth wide.

“Sure.” There were only a few left at this point and Nyx wasn’t sure his blades could pierce the armor of the MA any deeper than it already had. Thrusting his blade through a shock trooper’s forehead, Nyx turned and watched almost mesmerized as Pelna murmured something and then twirled the lance in his hands.

The thing took on a power of its own it seemed, the tip of it erupting into fire then ice and finally lightning before he hauled his arm back and sent it flying at the mech.

Nyx had seen a tri-cast performed a few times at that point, but he’d never seen anyone apply it to a weapon. The lance streaked straight and true, landing at what he assumed was the cockpit of the armor the way it sank into the metal like a hot knife would butter. When the spell went off the entire machine seemed to freeze up on spot, twitch and then fell over before giving one final ‘fuck you’ explosion for anyone nearby.

The last trooper fell and Nyx looked around them at the destruction that had been wrought. The asphalt was scarred by blades and scorched by fire, though all of the MTs had exploded, leaving behind only a trace of ash and a black skidmark to show where they’d been. The armor left behind a smoking husk, and of course further away was their poor car, rolled on its side and very much out of commision.

“I hope this doesn’t mean we’re walking home,” Nyx grumbled as he stared longingly at the car.

“On the brightside, at least you can run away from Cor with two feet on the ground,” Pelna pointed out, looking towards the figure carefully stalking across the grass towards the road.

Nyx stood stock still, watching as Cor moved directly towards him, those cool blue eyes locked onto his face like a homing missile. Every muscle wanted him to cringe away when Cor reached out and grabbed him by the shoulders, but he forced himself to stay put, to keep relaxed and watch Cor with the same casual acceptance he always did.

“Watch your shoulder,” Nyx huffed, eyeing the area that had been fractured now hidden by Cor’s shirt. He really didn’t want to get Cor home just to have him in the hospital again.

“What,” Cor breathed once he stopped moving. “The actual _fuck_ , Nyx?”

“It seems,” Pelna butted in, carefully slinging his arm around Nyx’s shoulder. “That while you were away, your mate here decided to go and become a Kingsglaive.”

“Cor, listen. I can explain.”

“You fucking _idiot_.”

Nyx frowned at him. “I didn’t think I did _that_ bad…”

Cor rolled his eyes. “No, you didn’t, but what the _fuck_?”

At least he seemed to be a bit calmer, maybe. Nyx sighed and forced himself to meet Cor’s gaze. “It’s a long story…”

“Well, we’re not exactly going anywhere,” Cor grumbled. “Our car is a bit… exploded.”

Nyx narrowed his eyes at Cor because the man wasn’t smiling but he was cracking wiseass jokes. “Are you mad at me?”

Cor seemed to consider it, washing it around in his mouth a bit before answering. “Is that why Drautos called you while we were in Lestallum?”

Nyx made a face at Cor. “I’m his favorite, apparently,” he grumbled after a moment, earning a ‘oof’ from Pelna who ruffled his hair and stepped away. “I don’t know what kind of a Glaive I’ll make, but I guess I make a good punching bag.”

The look in Cor’s eyes changed from mild annoyance to full blown murder. “Is that so?”

“No,” Nyx told him firmly, pointing at him. “No. I can handle it myself, I’ve been holding back because he and the other Glaives that went looking for you and the others got hurt taking out that base in Ravatogh.” Crossing his arms over his chest, Nyx leveled a glare at Cor. “I don’t need a protector for this, I can deal with him and the others myself.” He frowned at Cor’s annoyed huff, but held his ground. “I don’t need them marking me as anything more than I am. If they think I’m riding your coat tail I’ll never hear the end of it Cor. I mean it.” He put as much force behind his tone as he could and watched as Cor’s eyes darted from his face to Pelna then up at the sky.

“Fine,” he growled, grating his teeth in annoyance. 

Nyx relaxed, but only slightly. “I can handle Drautos,” he reassured Cor, giving him a little lopsided grin. “I can tell you one thing, he doesn’t hit nearly as hard as a coeurl.”

Pelna made a sound that caught both their attention because he was staring at Nyx. “Lucian or Galahdian?” Nyx just gave him a sheepish grin and Pelna whistled. “Boy…” He turned to Cor then, shaking his head. “I take it back, both of ya’ll are stupid.” And then he wandered off to see what could be saved from the car.

* * *

Cor was helping Pelna poke through the burnt husk of their car and Nyx honestly couldn’t tell if he was being avoided and ignored, or if Cor was just helping. He’d said he wasn’t angry but Nyx got the feeling he was, and all those little insecurities he thought he’d beaten out of himself were quick to come clawing back up his spine.

Sighing, Nyx did the only logical thing he could think to do. He called Cid, because Cid ran a garage that could at least pick them up and then maybe Libertus or Crowe could meet them at Hammerhead. It was a sound plan.

Three rings and Cindy picked up. A moment later and Cid was on the phone listening to Nyx as he explained their situation.

“One of the missiles hit the car, it’s toast,” he mumbled after explaining the attack. “Luckily no one got hurt, but Cor’s not that long out of the hospital-”

_“Cor’s back?”_

Nyx paused and cursed himself. Of course Cid had been worried and he’d done shit all to let him know. “Fuck, yeah. I’m sorry Cid, things kinda got hectic for a while there.” It was a horrible apology. “He’s been in the hospital for a few days, he’s ok. We were on our way home.”

_“Lemme talk to ‘im.”_

He hesitated then walked over to where Cor stood staring down at the remains of their charred car. When he held out his phone, Cor just gave him an odd look and a head tilt. “It’s Cid.” _That_ earned him a narrow-eyed glare that he shrank back from once Cor took the phone.

“Cid.” Cor actually flinched then stood there mutely. Nyx could hear anything over the phone, but Cor’s face had gone blank, something he’d only ever seen him do when Monica called to chew him a new asshole in that polite, soft-spoken way of hers.

“I think,” Nyx murmured as Pelna walked up beside him. “That I fucked up.”

Pelna made a noise that sounded a lot like a laugh, something he should _not_ be doing. “You’re safe,” he announced with a chuckle. “For all his guff, I think he’s more upset over the fact he was right useless and couldn’t protect what actually didn’t need protecting. He’ll figure it out.”

Nyx started to ask him what he meant about protecting what didn’t need protecting but stopped when Cor held his phone back out to him.

“Cid will be here shortly,” he murmured then went back to sifting through what was left of the car.

Nyx took the phone and watched Cor quietly, some part of his gut knotting up with anxiety. Pelna didn’t say anything else, but did give him a gentle nudge before wandering off a little ways down the road in the direction they’d been driving. Taking a slow breath to calm himself, Nyx moved forward until he was standing beside Cor who’d crouched down, digging under the seat until he produced what appeared to be the charred remains of a book. He dropped it and watched it turn to ash.

“I’m sorry,” Nyx said lamely as Cor stood. When those blue eyes turned towards him, Nyx looked away and shuffled his feet. “He was the closest person I could think of, and…” He felt his shoulders sag a little. “I’m the reason he was worried in the first place…” Part of him wanted to glance at Cor, to see if he could figure out what he was thinking. The smarter part of him told him it was a bad idea, so he kept his gaze watching the field off the side of the road. The anxiety that had knotted his stomach started crawling up his throat, locking his voice away.

Part of him wanted to throw everything down at Cor’s feet and let him pick up the pieces. He’d been holding himself together on prayers to gods that didn’t give two shits about them, and the hope that Cor would just show back up, dirty and wanting to steal another shirt from his closet. Then another doubt would spring up and Nyx was left to plaster another hope over it until it was a misshapen ball of pieces that just didn’t fit together that he hadn’t dealt with yet. He’d thought, now that Cor was back, everything would just realign and fall into place like it needed to be. But it hadn’t, and now the glue was coming apart while he desperately tried to hold it together.

“Nyx.”

His eyes shot up, colliding with Cor’s. He opened his mouth, started to apologize and stopped himself. “It was… spur of the moment,” he admitted quietly, frowning a little. “Libertus just wanted to go and see what it was about, get some info and then go home, but we ended up just... “ He shrugged a little. “Drautos was going over recruits and when he saw us he had us join. Then our names got called at the end of it and… it just kind of happened. When I called you, I was going to tell you, but you were leaving and already halfway gone and I didn’t want to tell you then, because I thought you’d worry about it.” He licked his lips, a nervous movement that mirrored the anxiety still skittering along his backbone.

Cor huffed, not because he was angry and not because Nyx had joined the Kingsglaive without his knowledge, but because Nyx was definitely overthinking things and driving himself into an endless loop of anxiety. He could see it written all over his face.

“Pelna was right,” Cor finally admitted, frowning. “I’m not angry about you joining the Kingsglaive, it was more because I had to sit on the sidelines and watch you fight. I’m not used to that.” He paused then pointed at his chest. “I’m used to putting my life on the line, it’s second nature at this point. I know you get upset when I do, the thought of me getting hurt gets under your skin and it bugs you. Up until a few hours ago I thought you were just a bartender. Knowing what I know now…” he frowned a little, trying to find the right word.

“Freaks you out?” Nyx offered shyly. “I mean… Cid pretty much told me if you died, I’d probably drop dead. I wasn’t sure if we were that ‘closely bound’ but he seemed to think so…”

“If I’m honest, I didn’t know about it either until Pelna explained it,” Cor grumbled. “I suppose I should have, Regis told me what happened when Cid’s wife died years ago.” His brow furrowed because he realized then he should have pieced those things together, but at the time he’d never thought he’d find Nyx to begin with, so his thoughts had never strayed that way.

“God dammit, have you two made up yet?” Pelna’s voice cracked across the distance, causing both Nyx and Cor to turn. “Our ride’s here.” A yellow flat-bed truck was edging closer, Pelna walking along beside it while Cid leaned out the window.

The old man whistled when he spotted their car, looking it over. “Well, guess I brought this for no reason. You ain’t gettin’ that back on the road.”

“Was it the scorch marks or the ash that gave it away?” Pelna asked. “I think if we put a fresh coat of paint on it, it’ll be fine.”

Cid shot the man a look that probably would have set a lesser man on fire. “You and Cor can ride in the back,” he told him. “Nyx rides with me up front.”

Pelna scoffed, looking genuinely affronted. “Banished to the back seat with Leonis. I’m a _hero_.”

“I’ll ride in the back with Cor-”

“No you won’t,” Cid griped, and Cor gently nudged Nyx, shaking his head to let him know it wasn’t going to happen, not when Cid was giving away shotgun.

“We’ll talk about this Drautos problem when we get home.”

Home.

Nyx groaned. Because home meant having to deal with Drautos personally, and if the texts Lib had sent him were anything to go by, the Commander had been in a right foul mood. “I take it back. Let’s go back to Lestallum, I don’t care about work.”

Cor just laughed and pushed him gently towards the truck, Cid scowling at the three of them the entire time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the weird angsty bit towards the end. Had a rough day at work and needed to get that out of my system. Hope it didn’t feel tacked on.
> 
> At least now Cor gets to see Nyx in his uniform. And later gets to brag to Monica about him taking out a MA-X. And maybe Pelna pops up in his office because he’s a shithead. And maybe he meets Monica.  
> -shifty gaze-


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't post for a few days there. I ended up writing out a summary for most of the chapters for Second-Hand Smoke and started trying to do the same for this. It's actually helpful, and something I've never done before. o_o  
> Timelines. Who knew?

# Chapter 21

Nyx watched in awe.

Cor, for all his mile long height actually looked _small_ , sitting before Cid so that the old man could stand over him. Cid. The man who had to practically break his back to look up at Cor’s tall ass, was standing there _looking down at him_ , with his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face.

“I’ve never seen the Marshal so cowed before,” Pelna murmured beside him, sipping the tea Cindy had given him while they watched the spectacle of Cor Leonis, the Immortal, get his ass chewed out. “I bet the King would pay good money for this story.”

Nyx choked and turned to look at Pelna. “If you want to _live_ I suggest you don’t.” When all Pelna did was give him a sly grin, Nyx wondered quietly how long it would take for the Citadel to explode. “Wow, between you and Monica, I might have to actually doctor Cor with alcohol and cigarettes.” Hell, he could feel ulcers forming in his own stomach sometimes just because Pelna was smiling that particular smile of his at something. Because that smile seemed to mean a disaster was approaching.

“You know,” Pelna paused to sip his tea. “While on the road, Cor mentioned a Monica a few times. She sounds like fun.”

“You two would probably get along, that’s the scary thing,” Nyx grumbled and frowned. “She’s Crownsguard, which is probably why you never met her, but since the Glaives and Crowns seem to have united-”

“Thanks to a certain bartender-turned-Glaive and his kickass Crownsguard boyfriend,” Pelna pointed out helpfully.

Nyx snorted. “Since they have united over the whole ‘war’ thing, not me and Cor; I think it’ll be possible for you two to actually work together.”

Pelna grinned that grin of his and Nyx’s eyes narrowed. “You say it's not you and Cor, but I’m tellin’ ya right now. It’s you and the Marshal.”

“How?”

The stare he got for the question almost made him edge away from the other man. “Are you dense?” Pelna asked. “Sure a lot of them come to the bar for drinks and food, but you realize that a majority of the Kingsglaive _and_ Crownsguard come to that bar because they genuinely like you and Ostium, right?” When Nyx stared at him blankly, Pelna sighed. “Six save me.”

“What does that even have to do with me and Cor?” Nyx questioned, frowning more. “They can like me fine, they can like Lib. But I don’t see how that would bring the two factions together.”

Pelna sighed again. “Cor’s always there, it ruffled some feathers the first few times, but most kinda figured it out after a few days and stopped bitchin’ about it and kinda took him into the fold. You guys are a package, they couldn’t have one without the other. I bet they were giddy as fuck when they found out you joined the Kingsglaive.”

Nyx didn’t admit it, but he had noticed more Kingsglaives coming to the bar after he and Libertus had joined. They’d started mingling with the Crownsguard more, who came and went as they pleased now. There hadn’t been any fights amongst the two guards, and hell they’d even booted out a few rowdy civilians for him in the past. “I’m not saying you’re right,” he murmured when he saw the way Pelna was grinning at him.

“But I’m right.”

“Fuck off.”

* * *

Nyx leaned over, peering at Cor’s shoulder skeptically. “You’re sure?” he murmured, moving his fingers carefully along until he got to where the bruise was starting to fade into existence along his collar. “Because that looks like it hurts and the seat belt was right there.”

“I’ll live.”

Nyx shot Cor a look, aiming for scathing, though with the way Cor looked back at him he was sure it fell somewhere in the lines of ‘puppy pout’. He wrinkled his nose a bit to try and give it more punch only for Pelna to start laughing. He gave up after that. He didn’t have the face for scowling apparently. “We’re taking you to the hospital when we get back to Insomnia,” he announced and watched as all the amusement drained from Cor’s eyes immediately. “And no, you can’t bribe Pelna. I’ve already bribed him.”

The other Glaive gave Cor a cheery thumbs up and sat back on the couch.

“I thought we were developing a fine friendship,” Cor murmured, sliding an annoyed glance towards Pelna.

He’s smile widened. “Yeah, but Nyx earned brownie points during that fight. Kid’s fast Cor. With more training I bet he could warp around like a hornet and annoy the shit out of some Niffs. Warp in, poke ‘em in the ass, warp out.”

Nyx had about zero idea of how to accept the praise that was being thrown at him and shuffled his feet uncomfortably. “You took out most of the MTs,” he pointed out, switching his weight to his other foot while he still peered at Cor’s shoulder, keeping his eyes locked there. “I took out, what? Two? One of them was just carrying a stupid banner.”

“And a MA-X,” Pelna reminded him. “It was small, the bigger ones are nasty, but it was still a MA and you did most of the damage. That counts.”

“He’s right,” Cor murmured, flinching slightly when Nyx’s fingers poked a little too close. “You’ve only had four months of training at most, they wouldn’t expect you to face off against an armored unit for a while longer at least.” Reaching up, Cor wrapped his fingers around Nyx’s wrist, giving a little tug until he sat on the couch beside him. “You did good. The next time you’re out training I might come watch.”

Nyx sputtered because Cor was saying shit that made no sense. “No,” he stated quickly, earning a glance from Cor. “I love you, I do, but no. Because Drautos is mean and bitter and if he hits hard enough you’ll get mad.”

“I am perfectly capable of controlling my anger.” Was Cor offended? He sounded mildly offended.

Nyx made a face and looked at Pelna. “Tell him, please?”

“Drautos can…” Pelna frowned, searching for the right word. “He can be a bit of an asshole, especially if he thinks you have promise. He was rough on Crowe.” He paused then grinned. “You should tell that to Libertus. I bet he tries to beat the shit out of Drautos after that.”

“Libertus already fights like a dirty little shit and Drautos loves him for it. Please don’t encourage him,” Nyx whined.

Pelna’s smile foretold betrayal, and Nyx sent up a prayer to Gods he wasn’t even sure existed.

* * *

“We have three choices,” Nyx told Cor as he walked closer. Cor had taken up residence in Cid’s lawn chair that rested just outside of the garage. He was reading a borrowed book, one of Cid’s it looked like. “We can call LIbertus, but I know Crowe will tag along so you, Pelna and I will be crammed in the back seat.” Cor made a face and Nyx nodded. “Thought so. I could call Monica, she’d be willing to pick us up.”

“She’s probably busy,” Cor murmured, closing the book and resting it in his lap. “Who’s the third option?”

“The King.”

“Call Monica and tell her I’ll finish all of her paperwork for the next month if she picks us up in the next two hours.” Cor picked himself up from the chair. “And if word of this reaches Regis, I’m demoting her.”

Nyx watched Cor move away towards the dinner where Pelna was talking to Cindy outside. He’d started to tell him they could borrow one of the cars outside the shop, but it meant having to drive it back with someone following. Nyx himself wasn’t all that keen on the idea, and he didn’t trust Pelna to drive back to Hammerhead with Cid’s car, not with Imperials dropping out of airships like little mini homing missiles. Getting someone to pick them up seemed easier and safer.

Monica picked up her phone after barely a ring. “What’s wrong?”

“Well hello Monica, yes we’re fine and doing great. How are you?”

Silence filled his ear as he waited for her response only to hear her sigh heavily. “I assumed there was a problem, since you were calling me. What can I do for you Ulric?”

Ah, now he had to explain that there actually _was_ a problem. “Um, well you see…” He paused because he wasn’t really sure how to go into detail. “Our car kind of…. Exploded?” Silence again. “We were attacked on the highway by Imperial troopers, and a MA-X. Pelna and I handled it, though I think when Pelna slammed on breaks Cor may have damaged his shoulder some more. I want to take him to the hospital when we get back. The problem is, we need a ride… kinda.”

“Kinda,” Monica repeated, sounding put-out. “Where are you.”

“Hammerhead.”

A heavy sigh filled his ear. “I could come get you in the morning if you haven’t found another way home.”

Nyx wrinkled his nose, feeling bad for the bribe he was about to throw into existence. “Cor said if you can get us in the next two hours, he’ll finish your paperwork for a month.” The silence on the other end of the phone was deafening. “And he said not a word to the King or he’d demote you.” More silence, then he heard something that sounded like keys.

“I’ll be there in an hour. Get that promise in writing for me, Nyx. I’m depending on you.”

The line went dead and Nyx stared at his phone quietly for a moment before sliding it back into his pocket.

* * *

“You could have at least written it neatly,” Nyx grumbled as he stared down at the piece of paper. The chicken-scratch there was just legible enough to make out what it said, Cor’s signature included. The look he got from the other man spoke volumes to his character, and Nyx found himself quickly offended. “She said she was _depending_ on me Cor. You don’t just let a girl like Monica down.” He frowned at his soulmate, folding the paper carefully. “That would be like hitting a puppy.”

“No, letting _you_ down would be like hitting a puppy. Letting Monica down is like…” Cor paused, thinking then scrunched his nose. “It’s like throwing water on a cat. She’ll get revenge later.”

Nyx snorted and turned to the entrance of Hammerhead as a sleek silver car pulled in. Monica stepped out a few minutes later and walked straight towards them, looking determined. She stopped in front of Cor and actually glared even as she had to tilt her head back to do so. “You are more trouble than you are worth,” she stated, pressing her lips into a thin line.

Cor didn’t bend under her glare like he had Cid’s, but Nyx saw the twitch that ran along the corner of his eye. Smiling as brightly as he could, he planted himself between the two of them, offering his piece of paper to Monica. She took one look at it then looked at him in a way that would have made an unmatched man blush, because there was a whole lot of love shining in those eyes. Enough that Cor actually reached out and ever so carefully wrapped one arm around Nyx’s chest then dropped his chin to the crown of his head.

Jealous asshole.

“We need to take Cor by the hospital when we get home,” Nyx told her, watching that little frown tug at the corners of her mouth. “We had to slam on breaks and I think it may have hurt him.”

“I am perfectly fin-”

“We’ll go first thing. Where is the other one that was with you? Khara?” Monica asked, turning her gaze towards the gas station and then dinner.

“I have been summoned by the voice of an angel,” Pelna teased as he walked out of the garage, walking over to the group before giving a little bow. “Pelna Khara at your server, madam.” When Pelna held out his hand as if to take hers, Monica took a step back and stared at the man as if he was a three-headed Anak calf. Cor immediately tightened his grip around Nyx’s shoulders and hauled him backwards away from the pair.

Confused, Nyx turned slightly to stare at Cor but stopped when several things seemed to all happen at once. Pelna managed to snag Monica’s hand in his gloved one, pressing his lips to her knuckles like she were some kind of princess. The same moment his lips pressed against the back side of her hand there was a resounding crack as her other hand landed against his cheek.

And then they just stared at each other blankly for a moment, her hand pressed against his face, his lips against her hand.

“Oh,” Nyx breathed in slowly, eyes growing round. “My gods.”

“Six strike me down now,” Cor murmured and turned to bury his face against Nyx’s shoulder while hunching his own because what was happening was very, _very_ clear.

“No,” Monica said firmly, staring past Pelna like the end of the world was happening behind him. “No, no, no.”

Pelna didn’t say a word, but he was staring at Monica like she was a flame and he was the moth suicidally flying towards it.

Nyx stared in awe because he’d never actually gotten to see someone meet their match. He’d missed seeing Lib meet Crowe because he’d been busy getting punched in the face. He’d missed his sister meeting her husband years ago because he’d been out hunting. His own didn’t count because being part of that spectacle was completely different than actually watching two people. Monica just stared at Pelna in blank shock while Pelna took on an appearance very similar to a puppy who’d just fallen deeply in love with its new owner. Nyx honestly couldn’t be more excited for what would come of the following days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What was that?  
> Monica/Pelna is the best thing since sliced bread?  
> Hell yeah. ;)
> 
> [[Twitter](https://twitter.com/FanfictionRei)]


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kinda fluff/filler so I could announce this:  
> I’m actually going to start plotting this shit out so the upload schedule is going to change.  
> Monday = Second-Hand Smoke  
> Wednesday = Reverie in Moonlight  
> Friday = Side Quest Unlocked/Other (if I don’t have a Cor story, I’ll be updating one of my other non-FFXV stories)

# Chapter 22

Nyx watched in amusement as Cor slouched onto the stool and practically draped his upper half along the bar. It wasn’t busy, only a few lingering bodies at the tables so Nyx leaned his hip against the bar across from Cor. “Well, howdy stranger,” he crooned teasingly. “Haven’t seen you before. New in town?”

Cor peered at him warily, his eyes narrowed. “Maybe.”

“What can I do ya for?” Nyx raised both eyebrows, giving his best smile because Cor was actually playing along, which was unusual.

“Bourbon.”

Nyx snorted and poured him a glass of water. When Cor pursed his lips together and looked at him as if he’d been betrayed, Nyx just smiled. “I hear tell that certain painkillers don’t mix well with alcohol.”

The Marshal took the glass, sipping the water before setting it down. “You,” he murmured, obviously no longer playing along with Nyx’s joke. “Didn’t just sit in an office listening to Pelna pine over Monica for _three fucking hours_.” Cor stared at his glass then looked back up at Nyx. “Crowe would give me alcohol. Crowe _cares_.”

“Crowe likes to see you suffer and would enjoy it far too much if you were drunk and drugged out on meds,” Nyx pointed out. “And I wouldn’t want her to do that. I just got you back out of the hospital after they discovered you damaged your shoulder _again_. I’m not putting you back in. My bed is cold at night.”

Cor made a face. “ _Pining_ , Nyx. _For hours_.”

“Why was he in your office? Why didn’t he just go pine over her in her office?”

“She locked the door.”

Nyx stopped, stared, choked on his laughter and had to cover his mouth to hide his grin when Cor shot him a glare. “She,” he paused and cleared his throat. “She locked her door? Are they not getting along?” It was unusual for sure, for mates to not get along at all. There had actually never been a documented case of it, so Nyx was trying to figure out exactly what was going on between the two. It would need to be resolved eventually, and if Pelna was going to Cor of all people to complain, Monica would start doing the same soon. And then it would bleed over to _him_.

“She’s not used to it,” Cor murmured then shrugged. “She’s not used to attention. I’m guessing she always thought her match would be… well, like her. Easy going, soft spoken and as a general rule, quiet.”

“Well, Pelna crosses out exactly zero of those boxes.”

Cor sighed and lowered his forehead to the bar, breathing in slowly. Nyx waited, watching him curiously while he waited for the next problem, which Cor was obviously weighing the pros and cons of telling him about.

“Regis,” Cor murmured and Nyx felt a very nasty shiver crawl down his spine. “Of course knows you are one of his newest Kingsglaive.” He paused, took another long breath then continued. “He wants you to come to his office for _tea_. I’m not invited.” He lifted his head with a frown, his brow furrowed. “Or I was invited, until I told him to fuck off. Then he uninvited me.”

Nyx stared because only Cor could get himself _uninvited_ to the King’s office for fucking tea. “Then I won’t go.”

“It was an order.”

And order directly from the King. To have fucking _tea._ “Alone?” Cor nodded and Nyx stared at him harder. “With Regis?” Another nod, a harder stare. “And you told him to fuck off.”

The look this earned him was nearly as deadpan as Cor’s voice could sometimes be. “I thought it would get us out of it.”

“It got _you_ out of it.”

“You could tell him to fuck off?”

Nyx made a sound of indignation in the back of his throat, staring at his mate in utter horror. “I can’t _do that_ Cor! He’s the fucking King!”

“I do it all the time.”

“You don’t have a self-preserving bone in your gods damned body!” Nyx raised his hands and turned, hoping to find Libertus or Crowe but found no one to back him up. “Six help me, I’m being thrown to a literal wolf.”

Cor snorted. “He won’t… do anything. I don’t think. He probably just wants to try and pry information out of you.”

“About _what_ ,” Nyx squeaked. “I know nothing!”

“Us, our lives together. He’s a nosey, gossipy little bitch and can’t stand it when he doesn’t know something,” Cor supplied, resting his cheek against his fist. “Tell him something that’ll make him happy and then he’ll leave you alone. Make up something. Give him a… what does he call it… ‘juicy tidbit’.” Cor made a face at the phrase. “I don’t know what he’s looking for. He’s just bored.”

“There’s a fucking _war_ going on, and he’s bored and wants to gossip.”

Cor shrugged again, sipping his water.

“I’m moving,” Nyx announced. “I’m buying a boat and moving out into the middle of the ocean, and all of you can suck my dick.”

“I don’t share well with others,” Cor murmured and actually laughed when Nyx started sputtering and shoved a drying cloth into his face.

* * *

He was going to kill him. He was going to kill Cor Leonis and not regret a single thing.

Nyx stared into the eyes of the beast, because it was the only thing keeping him from freaking out at that moment. He sat in the middle of the King’s study, tea cup in hand while the King sat across from him, sipping his own. Regis _knew_ he was a nervous wreck too; because he kept glancing at him and he had such a smug, pleased look on his face that Nyx actually thought about throwing the tea cup at him.

“So,” the King said with a smile, making Nyx jump. “Cor is back home now?”

Regis already knew the answer to that. Cor had gotten back out of the hospital after a two day stay when they’d returned to Insomnia with Monica and Pelna. Nyx had been forced back into work after the first day, but then they’d released Cor on the second day, after the doctors had explained that Cor was not allowed - under any circumstances - to stay by himself because he was an idiot.

They hadn’t put it in those terms, but when Cor had argued he was fine, Nyx had quickly broken it all down into terms Cor would better understand. He stayed at night with Nyx. During work hours, Monica would see to him. Of course Pelna had also been spending time with him - to complain - and if Nyx wasn’t home, Crowe or Lib were there usually.

He was basically on house arrest until his shoulder healed.

“Yes sir,” Nyx murmured. “Shame he couldn’t be here.” He tried to not sound shrewd. He failed because Regis flashed him another one of those award winning smiles.

“So how have you been, Ulric? How has your progress been in the Kingsglaive?”

Well, that was a fucking loaded question. Nyx on his own was doing just fine, he was learning relatively quickly and had taken to warping like a fish took to water. His only problem was Drautos. The man was as savage as ever. He wasn’t using the cane anymore, but he still had a slight limp, probably some deep tissue damage. According to the report, Titus had hit stasis and an MA-X plowed into a metal tower knocking it over. Part of the metal had speared him, and it had left Drautos with a bitterness in him that he liked to take out on his newest recruits. Now that Cor was home, he was going to have to be careful because if Cor caught sight of some of the bruises he was developing, there would be a civil war.

“It’s been going okay, your Majesty. Commander Drautos makes sure we get a good work out.” He paused for a moment, trying to think of something else. “I can’t really give you a progress report, I’m not sure how Drautos is grading us.” He wasn’t going to sit there and boast, he didn’t really have anything to brag about.

The King was watching him curiously, then smiled. “Khara was singing you praises upon your return,” he remarked, which made heat slowly rise up along Nyx’s neck. “Now that I think about it, so did Leonis.”

 _Cor_ had been praising him to the King? Nyx narrowed his eyes. “Cor?”

“It was something along the lines of, ‘He’s good. He’s fast. And if you send him out into a death trap I will murder you.’ Or something like that.”

Nyx choked on his tea because that was _fucking treason_. “I am _so sorry_ ,” he said quickly, gulping. But the King was laughing and waving him off.

“It’s fine, Ulric. I’ve known Cor since he was thirteen. He’s been with me since he was fifteen. I know he’s not going to hurt me.” Folding his arms across the table, Regis leaned forward slightly, watching him. “But I worry about him. You two are a good match, you bring back that spark that he lost all those years ago. Thank you for that.”

That caught him off guard. He blinked and stared at Regis, uncertain how to take the compliment. “I just…” He hesitated, frowned then shook his head. “Don’t thank me, sir,” he murmured, rubbing his neck. “He makes me happy, and I want to see him happy in return. That’s all there is to it.”

That crooked little smile was back on Regis’ face again, the one that said he was planning something that neither Nyx or Cor were going to like. “Oh good. That’s very good to hear. Any new developments in the relationship? Anything amazing happen?”

_”Make up something.”_

Nyx took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

* * *

Cor’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Nyx, trying to comprehend the words tumbling out of the younger man’s mouth. At the same time, his gaze kept slowly drifting towards the bed then back towards Nyx. None of this made sense and Nyx had this look on his face, because while he hadn’t _technically_ lied to the King, he had still _technically_ lied to the King.

“Explain this again,” Cor murmured.

Nyx made a face then sighed. “You told me to make something up, remember? When the King started asking about us? A ‘juicy tidbit’ as you put it.” When Cor nodded, Nyx licked his lips and switched his weight around on his feet. “Well…I made something up.”

“You told him we now have a son,” Cor murmured, staring Nyx dead in the eye.

“I _told_ him we adopted. I didn’t say a kid.” Nyx clarified and turned towards the bed, staring down at the orange and white fluff of cat that sat there. Its golden eyes regarded them curiously. “Which will make the meeting even more hilarious, but still. Uh, say hello to your fur-son?”

Cor stared at the cat while he struggled internally not to bury his face into his hands and laugh. Regis would no doubt believe Nyx’s statement because Nyx was the kind of person that didn’t lie. Which, in retrospect, he hadn’t. He’d simply left out the detail that well, the adopted party wasn’t… human. “And when exactly did this ‘adoption’ take place?”

“You mean the real one or the one I alluded to?”

“Both?”

Nyx made a face at him. “The real one took place as soon as I walked out of the Citadel. Which, I guess, was good for this little guy,” he murmured and reached out to touch the cat’s head. The creature turned almost immediately and butted its head against Nyx’s palm, making low rumbling sounds in its throat. “They found him in the streets. He was going to be put down if no one adopted him.” His fingers tickled the underside of the cat’s chin before he dropped his hand away. “As for the one the King thinks took place, I didn’t really say. I kinda hinted that we decided on it while we were in Lestallum.”

Now Cor _was_ laughing.

“It’s not my fault!” Nyx huffed, frowning angrily. “You _left me_ with him, you asshole! If you’d been there you could have made something up on the spot!”

“Now, now,” Cor murmured and walked closer to Nyx, tugging him closer carefully. “We can’t argue in front of our _son_. I’d hate for them to take him away from us. I’m already so attached.”

Nyx sputtered and shoved his hand in Cor’s face, pushing him backwards. “You can fuck right off, sir.”

“And leave you as a single father with a new mouth to feed? _Never_.”

Nyx buried his face into Cor’s chest and laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you [Katapi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katapi/pseuds/Katapi) for beta reading. <3
> 
> Just so y'all know. The cat is very much based off my [furbaby](https://i.imgur.com/haD8Obq.jpg), Axel. He's a clingy little shit that is often sitting in my lap for head scratches while I'm trying to type. He is the best son.


	23. Chapter 23

# Chapter 23

The Kingsglaives knew. They’d known for quite some time who Nyx was matched with. It was kind of hard to deny when they saw Cor at the bar almost every night. Hell, half of them had adopted him into the fold of the Kingsglaive, saw him as one of their own. Some went to him for advice, something Cor bitched to Nyx about from time to time. He’d be in the middle of some paperwork and a knock would come to his usually quite office, then a Glaive would appear shuffling around nervously to ask some stupid question that Cor would actually answer.

Nyx chalked it up to Drautos being a complete asshole about most things.

So like he did in most things, Nyx took distinct pleasure in fucking with the commander. While he wasn’t trying to hide the fact that he had found his soulmate, he kept it hidden who it was; if only because if Drautos found out he’d probably catch hell. He’d asked Cor about it because he’d never seen the two of them interact with one another despite both being in positions close to the King.

Drautos saw Cor as ‘leftovers’, as Cor had described it. A remnant of the King’s prince days, in which Cor used to be a ‘shitheaded little brat’ if the King’s stories could be trusted. Drautos still saw him as such and thought Cor only held rank simply because he’d been with the King for so long.

Cor, on the other hand; didn’t like Drautos because he was loud and abrasive. Or well, that used to be the case. Now he just didn’t like him because he constantly caught sight of the bruises Drautos seemed to take pleasure in leaving behind.

So Nyx kept Cor a ‘secret’ but didn’t keep the fact that he sometimes slipped off to go see his other half as such. It irked Titus, but the man sure as hell didn’t say anything about it. Libertus, on the other hand, would gawk at him and call him an idiot for even tempting fate. Crowe found it hilarious and encouraged it blatantly. Others in their unit also found it funny, and Nyx found out fairly early on that Tredd and Luche were quietly feeding into it, talking about Nyx and his secret outings near where Drautos could hear if only to see those blue eyes squint in annoyance.

That was how he found himself in this particular predicament, cornered in Dratuos’ office with the commander glaring at him from behind his desk while he stood at attention in front of it.

“While I am perfectly happy you have your match,” Drautos huffed. “I can’t let you just sneak off to go see them every day.”

Nyx, who was an endearing little shit, just smiled. “We’ve been working hard, I have to get my attention when I can get it.”

Drautos’ eyes narrowed in annoyance. “Not when you’re training.”

“I was on break.”

The exasperated look that covered Drautos’ face was worth all the beating he was going to endure later on the training field. Though if Drautos knew how colorfully Cor had expressed his want to _break him in half_ , he might back off, or try harder. Which was another reason Nyx didn’t want the commander to know about Cor. Nyx earned his ass whoopings on his own. He didn’t want to be treated differently just because he was matched to the Marshal.

“Anyone I know?” Drautos dropped his gaze to the papers on his desk, signing a few to make himself look busy while he fished for information. “Another soldier perhaps? Or maybe personnel from the Citadel?”

“What makes you think they work here?” Nyx asked curiously, relaxing his posture slightly. “They could be Galahdian and live in the city with the rest of us.”

Drautos gave him a pointed stare. “I’m not an idiot, Ulric. You’re gone for a few minutes and come back looking as happy as a fat garula. The rest of your unit seems to know something as well, and I know it’s not Ostium. I’ve seen the way he looks at Altius, it’s hard not to tell.” He had him there, but Nyx kept quiet, only shrugging. Drautos snorted and looked back down at the papers. “I thought it might be Furia for a while since he spent a large portion of your unit’s training hours glaring at everyone around you, but that’s not right, is it?”

Nyx had to cough to cover up a snort of laughter. The thought of him and Tredd being soulmates was so absurd he almost told Drautos the truth. Thinking about it though, it almost had to seem Cor was an even more absurd choice than Tredd. The man was quiet, reserved and extruded ‘fuck off’ when he was around a large group of people. Most left him alone if only so they didn’t have to face any possible ass-chewing he might give. The truth was, Cor would simply answer anyone politely, try to be helpful if he could, and while he could get annoyed with certain people, Cor honestly had the patience of a saint because he fucking handled _Regis_ on a daily basis. Cor, Nyx gathered; had what the women of Insomnia called ‘resting bitch-face’. He couldn’t help it if he looked constipated ninety percent of the time.

If anything it made Nyx love him that much more.

“So the logical conclusion is that its someone within the Citadel, personnel within a few floors I guess.” Drautos was still talking, still trying to figure it out and looking at Nyx expectantly. “Is it someone on the Crownsguard? I know they like to go to your bar a lot.” Another pause. “I should visit one day.”

Nyx felt a chill roll down his spine, like Death was knocking at his door and waiting for him to answer. He smiled pleasantly. “Actually, Lib and I have been having trouble keeping up with everything, since joining and all. So we haven’t been opening quite as much.” It was a half lie, and Nyx didn’t mind lying to Drautos, especially if it meant he _never_ came to The Silver Coeurl.

Drautos made a sound in the back of his throat that sounded vaguely like disappointment. “Hm, oh well. So it is someone on the Crownsguard?”

His mind racing, Nyx thought over a list of people he could get away with telling Drautos were possibly his soulmate and finally settled on the one that owed him a favor. “It’s Pelna.”

“ _Khara?_ ” Drautos looked like someone had thrown water in his face. He frowned, then stared at Nyx with narrowed eyes and snorted. “I suppose that works, you are both idiots,” he grumbled before looking back down at his paper. “You’re dismissed, Ulric.”

With a salute, Nyx turned and headed out of the office, pulling his phone from his pocket as he went. He waited until he was safely in the elevator with the doors closed before he pulled up Pelna’s number. It rang twice before Khara answered. “So, before I tell you the stupid thing I just did, I will repay you by getting Monica to talk to you.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment. _”Deal. What the fuck did you do, Ulric?”_.

“Drautos was being nosey,” he grumbled. “Meet me at the bar in twenty?”

_”On it!”_.

* * *

Pelna was laughing so hard his face was turning red. Not because of the whole ordeal of being named Nyx’s match, but because Cor was staring at Nyx with such a look of open jealousy that the poor man was sure to be getting an ear full later that evening. Pelna was more than happy to feed that fire, scooting closer to Nyx and slinging his arm over the younger man’s shoulders, giving a cheery grin.

“Does this mean I get to kiss your cheek in front of Drautos?” Pelna asked, fluttering his eyes at Nyx while the younger man made a sound in the back of his throat that sounded a lot like dying.

Crowe was fucking _howling_. She was leaning against Libertus who was shaking his head and staring at the ceiling in exasperation, calling them all idiots while he handed Pelna a beer. Nyx wondered how drunk he should be because he’d seen Cor kick back at least three shots and he was nursing a whiskey now.

“Look,” he whined because what else could he do at this point? “I had to name _someone_ , he was about to start going through a list of Crownsguard and I didn’t want him to name off Cor. I don’t think my lie would have held if he got that far. So I just named off Pelna.”

Cor snorted into his glass. “Why Pelna?” Cor was _growling_ now.

Nyx had enough self-preservation to at least hide the fact he was offended by the growl. “Because he’s the only person I could think that would go along with it willingly?”

Cor scoffed, staring at Nyx over his glass. “I,” he started, pointing at himself, “am your _actual_ mate. I would fucking go along with it willingly.”

“We are not arguing about this,” Nyx grouched, frowning at Cor. “Besides, you and Titus _hate_ each other. We’ve discussed this.”

“Oh, so its _Titus_ now.”

Nyx bristled. “Oh _fuck off!_ You know godsdamn well if he knew it was you he’d either back the fuck off and treat me like some little soft cushion, or he’d stop pulling his punches all together.”

Cor’s eyes darted off to the side and he snorted. Pelna watched him, then glanced at Nyx. “He been that rough lately?”

“I had to go to the medical wing last week because he cracked my ribs during training,” Nyx grumbled and watched as Cor’s eyes turned back towards him, boring into his skull like a drill. “See! This is why I don’t tell you this shit,” he hissed.

“You can tell me,” Cor stated, oddly calm despite the look of pure hatred that shined in his eyes. “I’ll only keep a list of all his transgressions. Although I’ll be sure to read them off when I _murder_ him.”

Nyx gave Pelna a pleading look, hoping for help but all he got was a shrug. “I’m still new to this,” the man stated, giving him a grin. “And now I have _two_ mates!” It earned a sputter from Cor and Nyx shoved him away with a disgusted snort.

“I hope Monica ties you up in her office,” he snarked in annoyance, rubbing his face.

Pelna grinned at him. “Kinky.”

* * *

They were alone because Pelna had left after Nyx assured him he’d talk to Monica, and Crowe had taken Libertus to her apartment so Cor could finish yelling at him without an audience. Cor was taking a shower and Nyx had opted to get dressed for bed while the other man cooled down. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, undoing his braids when Cor walked back into the room; clean but still with a frown plastered on his face. Nyx didn’t say anything, just carefully unwound his hair from the string he’d braided into it.

There was a stretch of silence where Cor just stood there watching him work with his hair before he finally walked over and sat beside him, moving his hands away and taking over the task. Nyx relented to it, playing with the string he’d removed. When the silence continued, save the clack of beads as they were placed on the bed, Nyx took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry.” He felt Cor pause in fiddling with a bead before he continued his work. “I panicked. I should have waited, talked to you then made some kind of decision. I just…” He furrowed his brow in annoyance.

Cor snorted and tugged on one of the remaining braids gently. Nyx carefully, almost shyly, turned his gaze towards the older man. “While I don’t think Drautos would start treating you any softer,” Cor murmured as he carefully nuzzled his nose into the crown of Nyx’s head. “He might go a bit harder on you if only to get a rise out of me.”

Nyx took the slow cuddle in stride, letting Cor decide where he wanted him to fit against his person. When fingers slid along the base of his neck, moving through his hair, he took the chance to nuzzle his face into Cor’s throat, breathing in the scent of soap and freshly washed skin. “That’s what I was worried about,” he sighed against his neck, carefully winding his arms around Cor’s waist.

“But,” there was another sharp tug to his hair that had him tilting his head so he could glare at Cor. “From now on, tell me if he’s causing you any kind of injury.” He frowned a little and gave his hair another, gentler tug. “He shouldn’t be being that hard on his recruits.”

“I pissed him off,” Nyx said with a slight smile. “On purpose. He was being an asshole.” Cor snorted and released the hold on his hair, allowing Nyx to bury his face back into the side of his throat. 

He was quiet for a moment, letting Cor’s fingers play through his hair, but his mind was elsewhere. Pondering over something Pelna had said. “Is it possible,” he mumbled, feeling his eyes droop as Cor scratched the back of his neck. “I mean, the stories say soulmates are one soul split in two when they are born. Is it possible for one to be split into threes? It was just something Pelna said that made me think of it.”

Nyx almost whined when Cor stopped scratching the base of his neck, but the other man was pondering over what he’d asked. “There’s never been a record of it,” he murmured against the crown of his head, then snorted. “Which is fine with me, I don’t like sharing.”

Nyx laughed, ignoring the reprimanding bite that landed on the edge of his ear. “Yes, sir. I’ll remember that,” he teased. “I’ll make sure Pelna only pretends to kiss my cheek.”

Cor scoffed and Nyx laughed as he was shoved down onto the mattress and reminded quite clearly that he only had one mate. He was also the one calling the shots because, at the very least, his kisses were bone-melting.

* * *

Monica was related to Ifrit, Nyx decided as he stared at the woman across the bar. He'd called her and asked her to stop by, using the excuse he needed some Cor-related help. When she'd arrived, she'd stared pointedly at his neck and snorted.

"It doesn't look like you need any help with him."

Nyx had bristled, sputtered and now stood there staring at her, trying to figure out how to talk to her. Cor was being utterly _useless_ , and claimed this was part of his punishment for the earlier fiasco.

"You and Pelna aren't getting along, so I thought I'd step in?" He tried to make it sound like a statement but failed. "I know he's probably way out of your comfort range, but-"

She held up her hand, stopping him. "We are _not_ discussing Khara and I."

Nyx squirmed and tried again. "Monica, I'm only bringing it up because something happened today," he hesitated because her eyes were boring into his. "And I may have told Drautos that Pelna and I were matched…"

He was silently amazed, he realized, as he watched Monica's face. The changes were very subtle, the slight darkening of her eyes, the way they narrowed, the shift in her posture. Even Cor sat up a little straighter.

"You have a perfectly good mate sitting right there in the corner," she stated with all the candor of someone who was not highly pissed off and ready to strangle him.

"Cor and Drautos are like water and cats, they don't mix. I'm trying to save myself here a little," he groaned. When the glare he was receiving did not change, he looked towards Cor and whined. "Help me, you asshole."

Cor had the grace to flip him off.

When he whined again, Cor sighed. "Drautos has been breaking things," he told her, looking up from the book he'd diligently buried his nose in when she'd arrived. "Namely, him," he paused to point at Nyx then continued. "So I have been removed from the situation because murder isn't an option on the table." He returned his gaze to his book. "Yet."

Nyx pursed his lips a little then turned back to Monica. "Yes well, if that happens Cor is legally the next person the Kingsglaive falls to. But if he's the one that kills its Commander, I believe it falls to the next in command. Which means both the Crownsguard _and_ Kingsglaive would be coming to, well; you."

Monica stared at him. She stared at him _hard_. 

"Fine." That one word sent such relief through Nyx he nearly fell. "But I still don't think this will help."

"What exactly is the problem?"

She snorted and started counting off on her fingers. "When I leave the office, he's there. When I get to my office, he's there. Anywhere I go he just, shows up. I'm not used to having someone else always nearby. I'm used to my space."

Nyx chewed on his lower lip because he knew what was going on, it was just a matter of making Monica understand. "I can explain," he murmured then sighed. "I don't know if it will make it any better or not." When Monica just watched him, he took a deep breath. "He's Galahdian. The day he left the village he lost _everything_. His family, his livelihood, his home. He didn't have anyone else, which is probably why he left." He paused and glanced at Cor. "It's why most of us leave." Turning back to her he frowned a little. "When Galahd fell, Lib and Crowe had each other, and while Cor didn't come back till after, I still had him to learn on, even if I wasn't really sure how."

From the corner of his eye, he saw Cor lower his book and turn to look at him. He tried to hide the heat in his face. "We cling because we've literally lost everything. When we leave, we don't expect to go back, but we know it's still _there_. It's gone now, nothing but ash and memories and we can't even see that. So yeah, the one thing that he can be sure will always be there is the other half of himself; you. So he's going to cling to that." Scratching his neck, Nyx chanced a glance at Cor, blue eyes meeting blue. "He's gonna do stupid shit sometimes because he panicked and over thought something. You'll have to learn to forgive him from time to time." 

He glanced away, looking back at Monica who was watching him quietly. “Galahdians are built around community. We do a lot of stuff together as a whole, even if we’re shunned by the other half of our family.” He allowed himself a small smile. “I mean, we always kinda hoped we’d be welcomed back one day, back into the fold like we’d never been cast off as strangers in the first place. I’ll talk to him though, ask him to ease off and give you space. He can be a bit much.”

Monica snorted, but her gaze had softened. “I suppose I figured my match would be someone more like you, Nyx.”

That had him sitting up straight. “Me?” Why did it have to come out as a squeak?

“Mhm.” She paused and glanced behind him at Cor, rolling her eyes at whatever she saw there, but when Nyx looked back Cor had already buried his nose back into his book. “But, seeing you with Cor makes me realize you’re the piece of him that balances out the rest. The Salt to his Pepper, if you will. I hope with time, I’ll find that with Pelna.”

Nyx grinned despite himself. “He might give you an ulcer first.”

She snorted. “I’m sure the other one will appreciate the company,” he grumbled, giving Cor the most deadass stare he’d ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like Jealous!Cor for some reason. I should do Jealous!Nyx at some point but I feel like he'd just take it all in stride.
> 
> Because I love all of you, here is a treat. A snippet of _another_ AU I started because I have ADD and my brain desperately wants to get rid of all these plots that have popped up.  
> I'm not going to post it for a while, but it will likely take Side Quest Unlocked's Friday slot when I do not have an update for Cor's POV. Because I need more things to write on.  
> Plot bunnies breed like... well, like rabbits I suppose.
> 
>  
> 
> [[Sneak Peek Image](https://i.imgur.com/iBQNNal.png)]  
> [[Twitter](https://twitter.com/FanfictionRei)]


	24. Chapter 24

# Chapter 24

Cor was a horrible, disgusting person, Nyx decided as he had his fifth mental breakdown that day. He was sitting on his couch, looking over his book at him as Nyx paced the floor like a caged coeurl. Ironically sitting in his lap was one half of the reason he was having this meltdown in the first place.

Roe, ginger ball of adorable fluff that he was; was peering over Cor’s book as well, golden eyes following Nyx as he moved from one side of the living room to the other, his pupils just slivers of black against a sea of glittering yellow. Cor was petting him, scratching right between his shoulders where he liked and Nyx paused long enough in his pacing to frown at the two.

“How can you be so calm about this?” he asked, glaring. “We told a lie to the King! A King that we’ve been actively avoiding for a month to keep him from asking if he can meet our ‘son’!”

Cor had the faintest smile on his face and Nyx narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering what the other man would do if he tried to wipe it off with a good right hook.

“You,” Cor corrected, “were the one that told the lie. I only answered the questions he asked. None of which were if our ‘son’ was human or not.”

Nyx scoffed and stared at him. “You’re going to let me take the fall for this? Alone?”

The ghost of a smile that had been playing on Cor’s lips bloomed into a smirk. “Yup.”

“You massive asshole. You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“The longer you try to avoid the King means the less of Regis I have in my life, so yes. Very much.”

Nyx made a disparaging sound in the back of his throat before he turned, heading for the door. He had work and talking to Cor was only stressing him out more.

* * *

Stress was a horrible thing, Nyx decided as he threaded his fingers through his hair, leaning against one of the walls around the arena. It was barely noon and he was already on edge. He had about decided on the matter, one Cor wouldn’t likely like since it meant he’d be ratting them both out to the King, but he couldn’t keep doing this. His brain couldn’t handle it.

Not to mention Drautos was being an utter dick. Ever since his leg had fully healed, he’d gotten right back into the game of kicking everyone’s ass. It just seemed Nyx was getting himself on that shitlist a lot more than usual.

The Commander was currently eyeballing him from across the arena even though Nyx had already finished his bout with him - and now sported a fresh new bruise on his ribs where Drautos had jabbed him. At least it hadn’t been the side he’d cracked before. At least he hadn’t cracked them _again_. But the look he was being given told Nyx all he needed to know. He would be on the receiving end of an ass-kicking again soon.

“Ulric!”

Nyx nearly jumped out of his skin when an arm was slung over his shoulders, pulling him down slightly so he was level in height with the man standing beside him. Pelna grinned sheepishly at him, his eyes glittering with mischief. “You and I, are getting lunch,” he told him. “I need a battle strategy for Code Name Princess and I wanna talk it over with ya.”

“Code- OH!” he paused, glancing back out across the arena. “Yeah we can, but I might be getting called back out to have my ass handed to me.”

Pelna snorted and followed Nyx’s gaze. They were being stared at now by Drautos who raised his eyebrow curiously. Pelna, being Pelna, gave the Commander a big, lopsided grin before he leaned in and pressed a sloppy kiss to Nyx’s cheek. Nyx, to his credit, didn’t flinch away. His eye twitched, however.

“You know, for the past month all the other Glaives have actively been telling Cor exactly how many times you do that,” he grumbled under his breath, jabbing his elbow into Pelna’s ribs when the other man chuckled.

“I know, that’s why I try to do it when they’re around. Hell, _I_ let him know how many times I kiss your cheek,” he said and then teasingly ruffled Nyx’s hair. “You wouldn’t believe the glare I got yesterday. It was glorious. I thought I would combust into flames.”

Nyx’s brow furrowed. “Cor said he wouldn’t do anything.”

Pelna laughed. “Shit Nyx, it wasn’t _Cor_ that was glaring at me.”

“Oh? _Oh…_ ” Nyx snorted then smiled a little. “She’s starting to regret this arrangement, I see.”

“She attempted to talk to me. But I think I’m a little…” He frowned, trying to find the right word.

“High energy?” Nyx asked, glancing at him.

Pelna shrugged. “Sounds about right. Oh look, Commander Happy is coming to yell at us for PDAs. He better be glad we aren’t actually soulmates. If I was Cor, I’d be claiming my territory in front of him.”

Nyx snorted then frowned, turning to look at him. “You make it sound like he’s going to pee on me like a dog.” Pelna’s eyes widened at the comment then he laughed, which quickly dissolved into hiccups and wheezes when Drautos got closer.

“Enjoying ourselves?” Drautos asked, peering down his nose at Nyx, who smiled brightly at him in return.

“We were just talking about getting lunch,” Nyx stated as Drautos’ gaze slid over to Pelna who was recovering and wiping a stray tear from his eye. “Unless you have need of me, sir?”

“No, you’re dismissed for lunch,” the Commander grunted. “But meet me back here after.”

Nyx didn’t flinch visibly, though he felt a muscle jump in his cheek. He waited until Drautos had turned and was out of hearing distance before he sighed and let his shoulders slump. “Something tells me Cor’s not going to like our nightly discussion of what went on at work,” he grumbled.

Pelna patted his shoulder sympathetically. “I know you’ve been stressed. Why not just take it out on Drautos? Might make you feel better, unless he still kicks your ass, in which case… well, I guess it depends on how many bones he breaks?”

“How fast are you gonna tell Cor if he does?”

“Do you want the answer I’m supposed to give you or the one Cor snarled at me to get?”

Nyx looked at Pelna. “He _snarled_ at you?”

Pelna just smiled.

* * *

‘Code Name Princess’ was Pelna’s stupid jargon for Monica. They’d all been dubbed in his little plan, actually. Cor was ‘The Dragon’, Nyx had been jokingly called ‘The Side Wench’ until Cor heard about it, and now he was called ‘The Other Princess’ - much to his horror - and Pelna was of course, ‘The Knight’.

Nyx had told him he was an idiot.

It wasn’t even really a plan; it was more him just trying to figure out how to talk to Monica. Nyx had discovered rather quickly that Pelna was undeniably the ‘clingy lil shit’ Cor had described him to be. He couldn’t blame him, but Pelna was open with his affection when it came to Monica. He couldn’t hide it at all, he oozed it as soon as he saw her. Which was why she was feeling so suffocated by it, so Pelna was taking Nyx’s advice in trying to keep their interactions at a minimum until she built up a better defense. They’d _tried_ to get Pelna to stop oozing love and giving her doe-eyes every time she came into view, but that was impossible.

Cor rolled his eyes at it. Nyx found it _fucking adorable_ , but he wasn’t telling anyone that. Except for Cor. Cor had snorted at him and told him he was ‘The Side Wench’ for a reason.

Nyx had called him a ‘jealous shit’, which had been reprimanded by being locked in the shower for a good thirty enjoyable minutes.

“You know,” Nyx murmured as he swallowed a bite of his sandwich. “When Cor had to ditch our dinner date way back, he asked Monica for advice on what to send me as an apology. She suggested flowers… why don’t you send her some?”

Pelna, who had been trying to fish a hunk of potato out of his soup, looked up, brown eyes bright. “Huh, I wonder what I could send her though? Roses are to cliche.”

Nyx rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then grinned. “Bellflowers.”

“Bellflowers? Aren’t those kinda common?”

“In Galahd, sure,” Nyx said with a shrug. “But here? I don’t see them, or I haven’t except a few shops in the Galahd Quarter, and I don’t think Monica goes there. Send her white ones if you’re worried about color, though I’ve seen some blue ones that are really pretty. Alma had some nice ones in her shop not long ago.”

Pelna was frowning slightly, brow furrowed in concentration as he thought over the idea then nodded. “Worth a shot, I suppose. But why send her flowers?”

“To ask her out, idiot,” Nyx grumbled. “Send a card with the flowers asking her to go to dinner with you one night after work. Sure she can only handle so much of your gushing, but I think she genuinely likes it, she’s just not used to it.”

And that was the core problem between the two. Monica had always thought her match would be quiet and aloof like her, but Pelna was the complete opposite. Loud and rambunctious with a playful streak that made him borderline childish sometimes, he was living life like he hadn’t allowed himself back home. It was different, living out here on your own and not having to conform to what Galahd had expected of you. Back home he was supposed to be Pelna the fisherman. In Insomnia, he was whatever he chose to be.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go home and get something.”

Pelna cocked his head. “Eh? You forget something this morning?”

Nyx sighed but didn’t offer an explanation and just left.

* * *

The Royal Study was a vast thing, full of dark woods and massive furniture that would have normally made the room look smaller if not for the floor to ceiling windows on either end. It brought in enough light to chase away any shadows the furniture might cause. Even the looming bookshelves didn’t seem to take up that much space. It didn’t make the room any less ominous though, in Nyx’s eyes. Not when he was standing in front of the large desk with the King’s family looking down at him from the massive painting on the wall as well as the King’s very own green eyes peering at him curiously from the other side of the desk.

They would flick from him, then back to the top of his desk because sitting there, in all his majesty, was Ronan.

Nyx gulped.

“Your Majesty,” he murmured, taking a deep breath. “This,” he paused and reached out, touching the cat’s skull, who immediately broke into a fit of purring. “Is Roe.”

Regis stared at him, then looked back at the large creature sitting in the center of his desk. Then again, his eyes jumped to Nyx. “Roe is a cat?”

Nyx nodded slowly.

“You told me you and Cor adopted.”

“A cat, yes.” He really wished Cor was there, but the man had deemed it Nyx’s job since it had been Nyx’s lie.

“Cor knew about this?”

Another gulp. “Only afterward. The cat was… well, if it counts for anything, I saved him from being euthanized?”

The King looked back at the cat, who was edging closer to him, sniffing at his fingers curiously. One of Regis’ fingers twitched, making Roe jump before he went back to sniffing. “And he was all right with this… lie?”

Nyx had never thought he’d describe one of his actions as petty, but throwing Cor’s ass under the bus at this moment was the pettiest thing he’d likely ever do. And he was perfectly fine with that. “He informed me you never asked if it was a human child we adopted, and it was fine.”

Regis laughed. It started as a low hum then bloomed into a chortle that had Roe tilting his fluffy head at the King. Then, as if realizing he was meant to be petting the cat, Regis reached out and carefully scratched behind one orange ear. Roe immediately flopped onto his side on the desk and purred. “Well,” the King chuckled. “It is quite nice to finally meet you, Roe. Welcome to the family.”

Nyx felt all the tension run out of his body like water. “You’re… not angry, sir?”

Regis smiled at him. “No, I suppose I should have been more specific in my line of questioning. But,” he trailed off, giving Nyx a look that had his back going rigid once more. “Don’t expect me not to exact some form of revenge.”

Sinking into a chair, Nyx sighed but accepted his fate. “Of course sir. What would you have of me?”

The King sat back in his chair, rubbing his chin and chuckling softly when Roe decided he needed to hop into his lap and settle there. He reached down, stroking the cat and ignoring the white fur that was steadily growing on his black suit. “Do you remember when you and the other recruits were accepted into the Kingsglaive?” When Nyx nodded, he continued. “The tournament you had, I’d like to see another one. Let this one be an ‘open to all’ type event. Any fighters are welcome to partake in it, but the actual matches will be the best out of however many there are.”

Wrinkling his nose, Nyx frowned. “You want a tournament?” Sighing, he scratched his cheek thoughtfully. The Kingsglaive and Crownsguard would be all over that, so they wouldn’t be lacking fighters. It would be interesting to see what others entered the fighting as well. “I could bring it up to Drautos,” he murmured then flinched slightly because the Commander would be waiting for him. “After our sparring lesson, I guess.”

Regis snorted but smiled at Nyx. “Go on then, you don’t want to leave the Commander waiting.”

Nyx took Roe back, but not before noticing how much hair was stuck to the King. He made a quick exit after that, to keep Regis from seeing him laugh.

* * *

Drautos was possibly a little pissed about waiting for Nyx, though he’d only run _maybe_ thirty minutes late. After his talk with the King and subsequent return home to drop off Roe, he’d hurried back. Drautos hadn’t said anything, the footprint on his thigh, however…

So when the next kick was aimed at him, Nyx dodged. Then dodged again when the punch followed. Because maybe Pelna was right, and maybe he was a bit pissed off about how each bruise he earned made Cor angry. Maybe he was tired of being the punching bag for once. When Drautos had still been limping and hurting, he’d hung back, pulled his punches even when Drautos whipped his cane across a thigh or ankle.

Drautos wasn’t limping anymore and wasn’t using a cane.

Nyx shifted his weight as Drautos’ fist rammed into his shoulder. Pain bloomed along the joint, but he relaxed it even as he threw himself forward, rolling off the punch and ramming his other shoulder into Drautos’ chest. Nyx was smaller and faster. A ‘bendy little shit’ as Crowe had once called him. When the Commander tried to grapple him, he warped out of the grab then warped back into range, sliding across the sandy arena to ram his foot into Drautos’ ankle. He was fighting dirty from the start, purposefully giving Drautos pot shots that he would let land the first few times then actively avoid after the Commander became confident in his ability to land them.

So when Drautos’ finally decided to shoot a punch towards Nyx’s jaw, he did the one thing Drautos had been trying to browbeat into him over the past few months. He sidestepped, moved backward and held up his hand. Blue hexagons formed a bubble around him, the Commander’s hand bouncing off the protection spell. Drautos pulled back, shaking his hand with a hiss while Nyx let the spell dissolve and darted forward, ramming his shoulder straight into Drauto’s gut and taking the man down. They rolled when they hit the ground, Drauto’s landing on his back while Nyx quickly rolled to the side, scrambling halfway back to his feet so he was leaning over his Commander.

“Knew you had more to you than a few soft punches,” the older man griped, jabbing Nyx in the arm and earning a yelp. “Took you forever to stop holding back.”

Confused, Nyx relaxed a bit and rubbed his arm, eyes narrowed. “I thought I was just your favorite punching bag.”

“Of course you are,” Drautos growled. “You always act like I’m an old woman when you aim your punches. You either hold them back or aim to miss on purpose. I want you to fight me like I’m a fuckin’ Niff gunning for you. Dumbass. How else am I supposed to know if you’re ready?”

He was still confused, staring at his commander like he was a completely new person. Drautos was a hard ass and an asshole, that was sure. “Ready for what?”

Another growl. “Deployment, dumbass. What did you think the Glaives were? A bunch of roughnecks that get to sit around the Citadel and drink beer all day?” Lurching to his feet, Drautos held his hand out, offering it to Nyx. “Your unit is being shipped out to Cleigne in a week. Niffs have been setting up bases, so you’re part of the patrol that’s going to be rolling through that area.”

Nyx stared at him because it felt like a punch in the gut. “What?”

“Welcome to the big-leagues, Ulric. We don’t get much notice on assignments.” He paused then snorted. “I’ve been testing all of you to see which ones would make good leaders. Ostium is hot-headed, he’d make a good second for your unit, the others…” He rolled his shoulders in a shrug. “Bellum is too much of an asshole to lead, Arra does adapt well in a fight, and the other two, Josef and Elea… Josef, with some work, will but Elea won’t speak her mind. You though, Ulric. You get snippy with all of ‘em. You fight just as dirty as Ostium, just as hard as Bellum, you adapt well in the middle of a fight. Hell, keep it up, live through a few battles and maybe a war or two and you’ll have my job.” Drautos reached out and slapped him on the back a few times before heading towards the exit of the arena.

If Nyx was honest, he’d known this would happen, eventually. He was in the military ranks of the King now. He just hadn’t expected it to happen… now. With only a week to wrap his head around it. He sure as hell hadn’t expected to be the leader of his unit either. “Yes, sir,” he murmured, staring at Drautos’ back and wondering how the hell he was going to tell Cor he was being sent out at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man I pulled this chapter together last minute.  
> Drautos may be a bit out of character for what I was building him up to? But I always wanted him to be this. He sees potential in Nyx and he goes at him hard because Nyx holds back when he shouldn’t.


End file.
